Magical Lyrical GSquad
by Kaijo
Summary: A diplomatic mission to world #97, headed by Lindy, is dispatched with a new Golem squad for protection. But there are old forces on Earth that feel threatened, and Arisa and Suzuka must push themselves to the limit... or watch their homeworld burn.
1. Take Off

Beginning notes: This fic takes place after Red Jewel Diaries, which takes place after MGLN: Crisis. If you haven't read those two, then some things that take place here might not make sense.

**Magical Lyrical G-Squad**

**Chapter 1: Take Off**

Xx~~*~~xX

"We have six more aircraft incoming," Otto's calm voice announced over the communication channel. "I am still inbound, ETA: 2 minutes."

Arisa let her magic extend throughout her machine, letting it guide the finer movements as she moved her golem behind a small hill and checked her displays where Terra was relaying the data; they registered as F-16s with a bomb payload, presumably coming in for a run against the targets they were defending. "Vice, can you intercept?"

In his own golem, Vice kept on the move, lining up perfect shot after perfect shot with his golem's rifle to take out cannon emplacements and tanks, but there were somehow always more to harass him. "Negative; I'm still engaged over here, and would need time to set up shots that far away. Even with the golem's enhancements, Storm Raider will have trouble hitting targets moving that fast unless I remain still."

"I can't abandon my position yet, or the village will be left undefended," Arisa announced, popping up from cover to fire several measured shots from her hand-held magic cannon, taking out several advancing tanks. "Arf, what's your status?" When there was no response, she repeated again, "Arf? Does anyone see her?"

"She's not appearing on any scanners, and her unit isn't responding," Suzuka added over the frequency from the _Ventek_ in orbit. "And that strange jamming frequency is still in effect which is making it difficult to tell what's going on down there."

Arisa quickly checked positions again, taking off on a short hop across the jungle, as Terra lined up targets. Doing so made her an easier target for the dozen stinger missiles and tracer rounds that lanced up, but she needed to switch positions if she was going to relieve Vice.

She twisted in mid-air and hit her boosters after taking her shots, but at least half the number impacted against Terra's barrier shielding, dropping it by another 10%; that wasn't so bad, and the golem's relic core would recharge it in 20 minutes or so, but her overall power remaining was down to 46%. She'd need to drop back and let her batteries recharge soon at this rate, and that was unacceptable as it would leave her zone undefended.

Several Apache helicopters appeared over the horizon, firing a full load of missiles, forcing Arisa to drop her golem into a roll under the tree line. Terra acquired locks as she came back up, but half had ducked back down behind the hill, and she was only able to hit three with return fire.

"I'm coming to relieve you, Vice!" Arisa shouted, engaging her boosters for another hop that dropped her battery reserves to 45%. "Terra reads that those fighters will be in range to bomb in 45 seconds; I'll take the heat off so you can take them down!"

"You can't leave your sector undefended!" Vice countered, gritting his teeth as Storm Raider took several rounds of cannon fire from a hill embankment. "I'll push my shields up to max and take the shots!"

"Your reserves are lower than mine," Arisa shot back. "You won't last until Otto can relieve you, and Arf is still MIA!"

Another flight of missiles came arcing in over the horizon, forcing the short-haired pilot to halt her momentum slightly and switch to flak shots, but the damage was done; she wouldn't be able to cover Vice in time to stop the bombing. Cursing, she slammed a hand down on her console; where was Arf!

"Someone call?" came Arf's enthusiastic voice over the tacnet. "Sorry, I had to deep six my pursuers and my communicator was damaged; Fenrir finally got it back online. Vice, I'll cover you, do it!"

Arisa exhaled a small sigh of relief as she glanced at a side screen, noting Arf's golem landing beside Vice and extending her shield while attacking the tanks, helicopters, and troops assaulting his location. Storm raider raised it's rifle, aiming for a spot in the sky only it could see, then snapped off six quick shots.

"6 for 6, nice!" Arf complimented, shifting her Fenrir golem into lupine mode for enhanced speed and maneuverability, and leaping into a tank to use using it's hardened claws to tear the main weapon off.

"Good, now someone needs to find and neutralize those long-range missile batteries, and we can wrap this up!" Arisa announced, running through the jungle to head off another thrust aiming to take out the village she was protecting.

"Andro and I have have them," Otto declared, just as Arisa noticed the cyborg's golem descend past the hills, firing a volley of green beams. "All five of them have been disabled."

Arisa allowed herself a small sense of elation. "Nice job! I think we're-"

"ICBMs!" Suzuka's alarm suddenly came over the comm frequency.

"Suzuka?" Arisa wondered aloud, checking her sensors. "I don't see anything. Are you sure?"

"Yes!" came the response. "I barely detected them myself, but I've been working on breaking through the long-range sensor jamming. They have some kind of stealth shielding, and I barely registered them before they disappeared again, but I'm positive they are there!"

Arisa cursed again; no wonder the enemy was jamming them so thoroughly. "Can anyone else see them and take them out?"

"I've got a bead on them," Vice replied. "12 of them deploying chaff and dummies among the real warheads; but I don't have enough energy left to get all of them and Storm Raider can't tell which ones are hot!"

"Do what you can," Arisa ordered. "Alto, Vice will need a pickup; Otto, get shields up on those villages; I'll handle the rest!"

"What are you going to do, Lieutenant?" Otto's steady voice came back.

Arisa activated Terra's flight mode, wings appeared on the golem's back as she shot into the sky on boosters. "At close range, I can use Terra's Death Blossom to take out all targets at once. But I need you protecting those villages in case anything gets through!"

"Arisa, you can't!" Suzuka protested. "Even if it works, you'll be out of power!"

"No choice," Arisa replied grimly, deploying the artillery boxes on her shoulders and lower legs as she gained altitude; a dozen magical beam hard points on each one. "Besides, that's what the parachute is for!"

Then there was no more time for talk as her visual monitors zoomed in on the dozens of small objects descending, while Terra acquired weapons lock on each one but informing her accuracy was diminished due to the long-range jamming. Arisa sent her golem into a spin as each artillery box began firing dozens of thin blue magical beams at almost every angle as she passed the cloud of warheads, minutare explosions blossoming all around her. Red lights flashed as her shields began to fail under the strain of the nearby detonations.

Then all her power was gone, and the golem began to plummet toward the ground; even worse, Terra's sensors had registered that she missed three, of which at least one was a real one as the ground erupted into a huge fireball, laying waste to the jungle. She hoped Otto's shields had at least protected the people, but realized she couldn't eject are the heat from the blast would kill her parachute; glumly, she realized she was going to crash.

"[I got you!]" Arf called via telepathy, which let Arisa know the Guardian Beast was very close; that was confirmed when her free-fall was slowly arrested. "[Alto already picked up Vice; I should be able to get you to the pickup zone. Otto will meet us there after the explosion has faded; the villages are safe.]"

"[Thank you,]" Arisa replied, watching her power tick back up to 2% and systems slowly came back online. She probably could have flown to the pickup zone, but let Fenrir carry her anyway; it was physically stronger, built for heavy duty activities.

"Simulation over," came Lindy's voice over the channel. "Good job everyone; exit for immediate debriefing."

Arisa blinked, wondering why it had been called off so soon; the training exercise wasn't supposed to end until they had completed the mission and been successfully extracted. Curious, she reached down and pulled out her key device from the center panel, a silver plated dog tag inlaid with a yellow diamond jewel, and hooked the silver chain it was connected to around her neck.

"Well, time to go face the music, Terra," Arisa intoned as she popped the hatched.

"No worry, Arisa," Terra's pleasant female voice came from the diamond on the dag tag. "The mission was completed successfully."

She noted the other three members in her squad, Vice, Arf, and Otto, also disembarking their golems that were suspended in a large gyroscope; it was to better simulate the movement in their training exercises. Arf flashed a thumbs up while Vice smiled, which was in contrast to Otto's emotionless curt nod; sometimes Arisa wondered what went through the cyborg's head. Suzuka and Alto also joined them as they hit the floor; the former being their head tech and the latter their transport pilot. Both were as much a part of the team as any of them.

In addition to Lindy Harlaown who had been chosen to lead the diplomatic mission Arisa's unit would be supporting, General Adams was also waiting for them on the floor, and he didn't seem happy. He was technically their commanding officer, and although uneasy about the new golem unit, he was a supportive, if critical, man.

And apparently he was in the latter mode today. "Lt. Bannings, would you care to explain why you chose to confront those missiles yourself instead of sending Otto to do it? You know very well her shields are better than yours, and she would have had a better chance of containing them before they hit the ground."

"We still managed to protect the villages!" Arisa replied defiantly. "That was the mission objective!"

He sighed. "Yes, you did; at the cost of the surrounding jungle that the natives need to live off of. You just created a humanitarian disaster. That's not how a diplomatic humanitarian force functions! The United Nations would order us out after such a stunt, and they'd be right to do it!"

"It wasn't a fair test, though!" Suzuka protested. "I analyzed the units; those were military units from the United States, and they'd never attack peaceful villages in Africa!"

"Anything can happen in combat, and it's my job to prepare you for that," the general explained, then sighed as he removed his hat and ran fingers through his short, brown hair. "While Admiral Lindy is in overall command of this diplomatic mission to Earth, I remain in charge of the military forces, which means your unit. I shouldn't have to tell you how important this is; I was once an Earth native, too. Their technology level has grown quite a bit, and they have the capability to nuke themselves back into the stone age, or another planet if they discover spaceflight. It's our job to see that they understand a more peaceful alternative. I have no desire to watch my home planet destroy itself."

"Come now, General, don't you think you're being a bit hard on them?" Lindy questioned with a small smile, displaying the diplomacy that was part of the reason for her assignment on this mission. "Everyone knows what's at stake here, and whether we like it or not, this is our best option. Earth isn't quite ready for the existence of magic, and thus this golem squad is perfect for the small defense unit that will protect the diplomatic team; they look like advanced technological forces that Earth would be more comfortable with. The Bureau also wants a decent test of this capability, and so we're killing two birds with one stone."

"Yes, I know," the general relented. "I just want them to be ready. Anyway, review the mission and this latest training flub, and be ready for departure at 0900 tomorrow morning. Dismissed!"

"Yes, sir!" the six replied, saluting as General Adams made an about-face and walked out of the hanger.

"Well, I have some work to finish up on as well," Lindy announced, waving. "I'll see you all on the _Ventek_ tomorrow!"

"I need to head out and check out the shuttle, too," Alto said. "The #4 transport hook still has locking troubles; I wouldn't want to lose a golem while I was transporting you guys!"

Arisa waved with the others as Alto and the admiral left, then let out a sigh she had been holding.

A hand found itself on her shoulder, and she looked up into the face of Lt. Vice Granseic who flashed her a thumbs up and smile. "Don't let it get to you; we'll do good out there! Won't we, Storm Raider?"

The green jewel on his own dog tag flashed as the female voice responded, "That's right!"

Arisa allowed herself a smile, knowing that her key devices, as well as Otto's and Arf's, were modeled after Vice's; it allowed them to carry the AI with them, and prevented anyone else from piloting the golems without it. In Arisa and Vice's case, they also doubled as their personal armed devices as well; a cartridge-based rifle for him and a combat staff for her. Arf and Otto had their own natural defenses, that their devices only moderately enhanced.

"We're definitely getting better," Arf agreed from a seemingly bottomless pit of enthusiasm. "Fenrir keeps up with me very well!"

"Thank you," the male voice voice sounded from the orange jewel on her own dog tag.

"Well, both your device and golem were custom made for you, based on your magic output and fighting style," Suzuka replied with a smile. "Although I admit I named yours myself, after a wolf of mythology from my home planet. Based on what I've learned from Mariel about her golems, I'll probably need to make some more adjustments so you can take full advantage of it. Speaking of which, Otto, I'll need you and Andro to come by later for more adjustments."

"Alright, I will be there," the mostly-quiet cyborg replied.

Her device was equally as succinct and to the point, speaking in an electronic voice that wasn't quite male or female. "Yes."

"And it looks like we have company!" Vice announced, as the six turned to see their guest walking up.

"Hayate!" Suzuka almost squealed, jumping over to grab her friend's hands. "What brings you here?"

"Well, you are heading out tomorrow on your big mission," Hayate declared, grinning. "How could I not come by and invite you guys out for a last meal? Oh, and Otto, your sister is here to see you as well; she's waiting in the cafeteria."

Arisa glanced at the cyborg, who seemed to stiffen a bit, but otherwise showed no sign. "I shall go speak with her, then, thank you."

Otto executed a short bow, then turned and walked away. Arisa caught Suzuka's gaze, who pursed her lips, looking concerned; out of all of them, Otto's reasons for joining the unit were a bit of a mystery still, and Arisa though wasn't prone to prying, but Suzuka still seemed worried so the blonde-haired golem pilot thought it might be prudent to speak with Otto for the good of the unit.

"Well, shall we go?" Hayate inquired. "Nanoha and Fate are waiting by the car. Oh, and sorry Vice, it's girls only!"

"Haha, no worry, I have my own plans," he informed them, winking mysteriously.

x~~*~~x

"You're really starting to put on some weight," Arisa noted wryly to the girl across the small round, outdoor cafe table.

"Well, with the way she's been eating, can you blame her?" Suzuka added, going along with the joke.

"Very funny you two!" Nanoha groused, but still feeling a bit self-conscious as she devoured her large ice cream parfait. "I challenge you to look any better at four months!"

"Well, it was rather sudden, you getting pregnant so shortly after your wedding," Arisa told her, returning to her own banana split. "Hayate barely had time to arrange the betting pool!"

Nanoha sighed. "I heard about that. So, who won?"

Hayate grinned. "Oddly, it was Zafira, but he won't tell us how he guessed."

"He wouldn't even tell me," Arf added with a laugh.

"Maybe it's a subtle sign to you," Arisa teased, which caused the Guardian beast to actually blush and clam up.

Suzuka looked over at Fate to take pressure off the embarrassed Arf. "How about you? Have you decided if and when you want to have a child?"

The golden-haired agent looked down a bit into her simple milkshake. "Um, not really. At least not for now."

"I think Fate wants to remain in her current job for now," Nanoha offered wryly between spoonfuls of fudge-covered ice-cream. "Pregnancy would put her out of action for longer than she likes right now. Anyway, speaking of Zafira, how is he taking the news that Arf is joining your unit and going to Earth?"

"Oh, you know him, never says much," Arf answered with a grin that said she knew more than she was telling. "But Earth isn't that far away by teleporter, so he'll still be able to visit. I just feel like getting back out into the field to help where I can."

Fate reached over to squeeze Arf's shoulder, and something passed between the two that Arisa couldn't figure out, but it didn't seem like something they were going to share, so she filed it away for now.

"He never did," Hayate agreed, continuing the conversation. "Sometimes I think he went wolf-form just to try and fool people into thinking he couldn't talk at all."

"Although he has been visiting the hanger quite often to see Arf as she works her golem out," Arisa added. "It's kinda cute, really."

Nanoha paused her ravenous intake to sit back and smile as she gazed at her two childhood friends. "I still don't know what I have a hard time believing the most; that Arisa got command of her own golem unit at C-rank, that you two are going back to Earth with it as part of a diplomatic effort led by Lindy to hopefully bring Earth into the Bureau, or how in the world you got Otto and Arf as golem pilots."

"Hey, I'm C+!" Arisa corrected, indignant. "I worked very hard on it, too!"

"And there is nothing surprising about the mission," Suzuka answered. "You know how far along Earth is with regards to technology. The Bureau seems to regard high levels of technology as a dangerous thing, and they hope to wean Earth off it's weapons of mass destruction and to switch it to a more magic-based society, like Mid-Childa. I learned all about the ancient Belkan past, where they destroyed their own home planet, and several others, due to mass-based weaponry. Even though I love tinkering with scientific technology, I can understand their fears."

Fate finished off her milkshake. "So how did you come to choose Arf and Otto, of all people, for pilots?"

"Well, after we got Vice, we needed a way to evaluate potential pilots and yet keep the reason for it secret," Arisa explained, then grinned. "And Suzuka came up with a rather... interesting idea."

The pregnant woman raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."

Suzuka blushed. "It was just something I saw in a movie that gave me the idea: create a golem piloting video game. The highest scores would indicate the people with the best pilot potential. And ironically enough, we discovered both on the same day, and in the same place. Otto and Arf were literally playing right next to each other, and blowing all previous scores away."

Arf shrugged, although appeared suitably embarrassed. "What can I say? It was fun!"

"As for Otto, we still don't know," Arisa added. "She must have her reasons for accepting when we asked her, but she hasn't decided to share them yet."

Nanoha tapped her lip. "I wonder..."

x~~*~~x

"Are you really leaving, Otto?" Vivio asked in the nearly empty base cafeteria, obviously saddened. "I didn't make you want to go away, did I?"

"No, it wasn't your majesty's fault," Otto replied, kneeling down to look the little girl in the eyes, smiling. "I just realized that I needed to get out more and see things. First from Jail, then rehabilitation, and finally the church... I realized I was letting myself get cooped up. I need to see more of the world, or at least another one, and apparently I can do some good where I am going."

"So it really wasn't because I made you upset?" Vivio pressed. "I didn't mean to yell at you, I was just embarrassed."

Otto took Vivio's hands in hers. "No, definitely not. Like your majesty, I have much to learn, but my school will be out there. However, I will return."

Vivio surged forward and hugged the cyborg. "I'll miss you. Come back and visit soon, okay?"

Otto nodded, stroking fingers through the little girl's hair. "I promise."

Vivio pulled back and smiled, as Deed reached down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I need to speak to Otto alone for a moment now, is that okay? I talked to the chef, though, and he has a special chocolate parfait for you."

"Okay!" Vivio agreed enthusiastically, taking another moment to smile at Otto, before speeding away to the counter.

"So, you brought her here," Otto said simply, gazing out the cafeteria windows.

Deed didn't say anything at first; she didn't need to. Even though all the cyborgs considered themselves sisters of each other, Otto and Deed were closer to the true meaning of the term. Not only did they came from the same genetic material, but their personality types were very similar, and Deed was the only person Otto trusted completely. Thus, for them, words weren't necessary, as they could understand each other without them.

But Deed spoke anyway. "Yes. Even I considered this move a bit rash for you."

"I feel I needed to improve myself, in order to serve our majesty," Otto replied. "Somehow, that means being out there; I cannot explain it. I was wondering if my place was really at the church, and was looking for a sign."

"And you found it at that arcade?" Deed probed.

Otto nodded. "It was just something I passed and decided to do to pass the time, but apparently I am fairly good at it. And I want to do what I can to make up for what we did."

She didn't need to ask what that was; they all still felt guilt over their role in the JS incident. But Deed's suspicion of her sister's reasons were confirmed; while Jail treated them well during their time with him, and they saw him as a father, they remained ignorant of the world and what they were doing. Somehow, Otto felt her compass was drifting, and felt she needed this to get back on track.

Deed lowered her hand and took Otto's, squeezing it gently, letting her know all this with one gesture.

Otto squeezed back; she would be careful, and would return.

x~~*~~x

"So, I'm shipping out tomorrow," Vice offered nonchalantly as they walked along the stone pathway, festive music drifting lightly over the evening breeze in the Marine Garden amusement park.

"Ah," Signum replied, her gaze still focused forward.

"Anything could happen," Vice suggested, the two pausing by a railing to look out over the ocean.

"That is the nature of missions," Signum agreed, hiding a smile. "Combat is entirely possible."

"I could lose my life, or be horribly maimed or something," Vice admitted, getting a bit more direct. "Are you sure there isn't anything you'd like to say or do before I go?"

"You are a fine warrior," Signum told him, finally glancing over at him, giving him a wry smile. "I am confident you will do well."

She had begun to value his camaraderie more and more lately, but for some reason, didn't want to tell him; somehow, being vague this way was more amusing. Although she wasn't too interested in a relationship due to the past memories, she had to admit that he was a decent guy, and she did enjoy his company.

Vice deflated and fell silent as they both turned to see the lighted ferris wheel's reflection in the water. "Well, I suppose that's it, then. I think we've hit all the rides, and seen everything. Thank you for your company, as always; it was an honor."

Before he could resume walking again, Signum grabbed him and turned him to face her, placing her warm hands on his cheeks and leaning down, her face millimeters from his face in her hands.

"I do hope you come back, though," she admitted, her cheeks a bit rosy, touching her forehead to his. "I might have something for you if you do. Consider it... motivation."

Vice was motivated by what followed next.

x~~*~~x

"So, I hear you're shipping out tomorrow, Bannings," came a familiar gruff voice.

Arisa looked up from her golem maintenance, having come to understand a decent amount about its inner workings. "Nakajima. Have you come to see me off?" She grinned. "Will you miss me that much?"

Nove barked a short laugh. "Hardly. I just came to tell you that you better not die out there. And you better not get fat and lazy piloting that thing. I want to be able to kick your ass decently when you come back."

"I can kick your butt anytime," Arisa replied coolly, setting her tools down and straightening up. "As I recall, you've never been able to defeat me."

"You've never been able to beat me, either!" Nove growled, leaning in forward to stare down her rival, then quickly turned away. "And as much as I'd love going a few rounds with you now, I have things to attend to, and your teammates wouldn't appreciate it if they had to ship out with you in the hospital."

Arisa chuckled, walking around to the cyborg's side and thrusting her hand out. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to promise to come back so I can thoroughly humiliate you. You better practice hard."

Nove glanced at the hand, then grinned evilly and took it. "Ha! I can promise you, I'll have outpaced you by miles. It won't even be a contest."

"We're agreed, then," Arisa declared, leaning in a bit. "On how much I'll wipe the floor with you."

Nove released the hand and began walking away. "Think what you want. We both know who the stronger warrior is; I'll remind you when you get back. I just wanted to let you know that you better come back."

"Oh, I shall," Arisa called back as Nove neared the hanger door. "You can count on it!"

Arisa watched the cyborg pause for a second, then walk around the corner. Grin still on her face, the blonde-haired girl knew there were definitely things she'd have to come back for.

x~~*~~x

Lindy closed the book in front of her. She could have used a holo-screen to confirm everyone was aboard instead of a ledger, but sometimes she just liked the feel of a book in her hands. That, and this mission was somehow important to her, although she couldn't figure out exactly why. She had retired to more of a desk job to let the next generation take over, but when word had come of a need of someone to lead a mission to ease unadministered world #97 into the Bureau, she jumped at it; she knew there was no one better qualified.

And obviously, the upper brass seemed to agree. She was past her prime, at least as far as they were concerned, and so she was a safe candidate; if she failed, it would all be on her. But if she succeeded...

Lindy allowed herself a small grin; that was probably the reason why she decided to do this, in order to show them that she was

"We're ready for departure, mo-err-Admiral," Chrono declared, reminding her of the other reason; she'd still be near to her family. "Everyone is aboard."

"Oh, I'm in your sitting in your chair," Lindy realized, beginning to get out of the captain's seat.

Chrono pushed her back down. "No, that's okay. I'll reclaim it once we get to Earth, but you are in charge of this mission. It's only right that you have it on the trip over."

Lindy smiled and rubbed her hands on the armrests "It has been awhile... Very well, Admiral Harleown, take us out!"

The V_entek_ jumped into hyperspace.

Xx~~*~~xX

"I see, thank you for your call, do let me know if you have other information," the elegant, short-haired brunette said into her cell phone, then hung up.

The other woman in her office raised an eyebrow. "Is that who I think it was, Lilith?"

Lilith nodded, leaning back in her chair. "They are on their way after all, which is... inconvenient for us."

The second woman stood, adjusting her flower-patterned kimono. "Then let me deal with it. They are setting up camp in my territory."

"Remember our goals and methods," Lilith told her. "It must be subtle. Our presence cannot be known."

"I've been a part of this for thousands of years," the second tersely informed her, her white painted face remaining emotionless. "You sired and trained me yourself. I can handle this nuisance."

Lilith studied her pupil. "For your sake, Amaterasu, I hope so. The council was quite put out. They think such a situation as this demands more attention. They aren't sure you are up to it."

Amaterasu finally allowed some showing of emotion in the form of a smile. "The Bureau will regret coming here. They will be dead or gone within six months."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Welcome to Secondary Characters 'R Us! The cast of Nanoha has grown fairly big, so in order to continue things, I felt splitting them up might be an interesting idea, so that others could shine in the limelight. Expect quite a few more to end up on Earth, while "Through a Mirror, Darkly" will deal more with the mains on Mid-Childa.

Oh, and if you're a mythology buff, you'll get some more fun out of this particular fic; especially if you recognized the names at the end there, heh.

Lastly, you can guess one of my favorite nerdy childhood films if you caught the reference. Suzuka liked it, too.^^


	2. Homecoming

**Magical Lyrical G-Squad**

**Chapter 2: Homecoming**

Xx~~*~~xX

"Entering the outer atmosphere now," Alto's voice relayed through the communication channel, from her position in the pilot seat of the shuttle.

In the cockpit of her golem, Terra, Arisa double-checked her readings, holding on to the control sticks as the turbulence grew rougher. She glanced out a side window, the reddish glow of atmospheric friction catching her attention against the white of the transport. She couldn't help but think of America's shuttle whenever she saw the new shuttle the golem squad was using as their main transport; except the wings extended from the top of the craft, instead of the bottom. Even the size was roughly similar, although more advanced Mid-Childa technology meant it could easily exit and enter the atmosphere and go anywhere on a planet without refueling.

Currently, her golem was attached to the underside of the left wing, against the body, as the shuttle also doubled as a transport for the magical mecha themselves. Arf's golem was under the right wing, while Vice's was in fighter mode attached to the top, and Otto's was folded up in it's protective cocoon underneath. The arrangement enabled the golems to save their magical battery power entirely for combat, although with any luck, it wouldn't be needed on this particular trip.

"Roger, all systems still green," Arisa reported through her head piece, glad that she was strapped in for this. "Though I still don't see why we couldn't just teleport down."

"We've been over this several times, Arisa-chan," Suzuka chided from her position as passenger inside the shuttle. As the head technician for the team, she had insisted on coming along in case any repairs or adjustments were needed for the golems. "We have to avoid as much magic display as possible, and the magic circles involved in teleportation would definitely cause some on Earth to question things."

"This also allows Earth to track us, which was part of the deal," Admiral Lindy Harlaown added, also in the shuttle. "The Bureau makes it a point to try and respect local planetary customs and rules with the official first contact,and we have to make a good impression."

"Just relax and enjoy the ride," Vice agreed, his voice the picture of calm in a turbulent ride. "This is all part of the fun!"

"And we should be coming out of the turbulence in a moment," Alto announced, and true to her word, the shaking finally subsided. "Extending wingtips for atmospheric flight. ETA for the UN in New York is approximately 15 minutes."

The line went silent again, and Arisa casually muted it from her side and sighed, watching the wing above her stretch out to twice its previous length.

"Is there a problem, Arisa Bannings?" Terra inquired. The AI had been getting more and more cognizant of Arisa's moods, the more they spent time together. "I sense you are troubled. Is the mission not to your satisfaction?"

"No, I just wished we could have visited the base in Japan first," she replied, talking about the diplomatic headquarters the Bureau had set up on Earth. "I wanted to see my parents first, but I suppose that will have to wait." It was her parents that had purchased the land and built the embassy compound there for the Bureau personnel to stay, although the pair were often off on various trips for their company. "I haven't been back to Earth since I left with Suzuka to Mid-Childa a couple of years ago."

"I am sure they miss you, too, and are similarly displeased at a delayed reunion," Terra tried to comfort, which Arisa found oddly disconcerting and simultaneously uplifting. "I am sure they will be paying attention to Admiral Harlaown's speech at the United Nations Assembly and might possibly see you there."

"Thanks, but it's still not-"

Chrono's urgent voice over the communications channel cut her off. "We're detecting multiple incoming objects to your location!"

"Acknowledged," Alto replied, and Arisa could imagine the other woman frantically hitting switches as she banked the shuttle roughly. "Too small to be piloted, looks like missiles, about twenty of them. They'll reach us in four minutes. Did you get a read on the launching point?"

"Not exactly," Chrono confessed. "Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, looks like. Do you want us to intervene?"

"Not yet, Admiral, I want to keep the _Ventek_'s capabilities a secret for now," Lindy countered, naming the Bureau ship in orbit. Arisa heard a smile in that voice. "But thanks. I think we can take this moment to demonstrate our position, however. Captain Bannings, if you will."

"Right," she called back immediately, switching into a command mode. "Vice, detach and intercept. Otto you stayed hooked up, but prepare for point defense. Terra, release docking clamps and engage the magnetic seals. Alto, can you slow us down some?" She concentrated on climbing over on top of the shuttle in order to get a better field of fire.

"They'll catch up to us faster, but reducing speed now," the shuttle pilot responded.

"I'm away," Vice announced, and Arisa spared a glance to watch his golem, currently in fighter mode, veer away from the shuttle. His was the fastest and most maneuverable in the air, and she was counting on his crack shooting skills to take out as many as he could. "At these speeds, I'll only have one pass, though. Coming into range now... Storm Raider, all weapons active."

"What about me?" Arf asked, eager for action. Arisa had known the dog woman when she was still Fate's familiar, and although Arf had once retired, her new incarnation as a guardian beast had reinvigorated a powerful desire to get back into the action.

"Negative, stay where you are," Arisa ordered back as concentrated on having Terra climb over the wing and take up position on top of the shuttle. "Your Fenrir golem is the least maneuverable in the atmosphere." Although it could fly (each of their golems was capable of flight), Fenrir specialized in ground combat.

Vice's sleek fighter opened up with several green beams as he approached the swarm of missiles, and Arisa registered several explosions on her monitor. Vice radioed that he had take out 12, and then he was passed them and banking back around, but Arisa knew there was no way he'd catch back up again before the missiles reached their target, despite his speed.

She focused on her HUD, activating her magical artillery salvo launchers. Outside, long rectangular boxes folded open from her golem's legs, while another pair unfolded from her shoulders. Ordinarily, this weaponry was designed to saturate an area with many small attacks and such would be useless against heavier defenses. But she knew Earth missiles were fragile enough that it didn't take much to incapacitate one. Terra did her best to acquire locks, however the relative speeds were making it difficult; she was just going to have to saturate the air and hope her and Otto could take them all. The range counted down, and then Arisa depressed the trigger.

Dozens of very thin blue beams erupted from their ports on the boxes, arcing towards swarm and saturating the air. The sky lit up with several bright blossoms as the arcing laser-like blasts found their mark. Several explosions registered on her panel, temporarily obscuring her sensors, making her wonder exactly how many she got.

"IS: Ray Storm!" Otto announced, firing her own emerald beams through her golem, the magical battery amplifying the control and power of her shots. Otto's golem lacked weaponry, being specifically designed to work with her internal system. "All targets neutralized."

Arisa allowed herself a relieved exhale. "Good job all. Vice, we'll be there soon, so just follow us in."

"I'm reading more bogies approaching our position," he relayed. "They appear to be American F-22 Raptors."

Arisa raised an eyebrow; had America itself been the attackers, and were now trying to finish them off? Why? She had her answer as a new voice sounded on the open channel.

"This is Captain Frenz of the United States Air Force," a male voice announced. "You are commanded to cease hostilities and return to your scheduled flight path."

"Hostilities?" Arisa blurted out, incredulous. "We were attacked!"

"Captain Bannings, I will handle this," Lindy admonished from the shuttle. "Captain Frenz, as you no doubt registered, we recently fended off an attack, but we will comply with a return to the flight path. Please relay our apologies to your commanding officers."

There was silence for a moment, before the voice came back. "We will escort you Stewart Air National Guard Base as planned. Please do not detour. We will ensure your safe arrival."

"Thank you, Captain," Lindy replied, then Arisa heard a click which signaled that the Admiral had switched to internal frequencies. "Well, what do you think?"

"A test of our capabilities?" Vice conjectured. "If I were in their position, I might want to subtly see what an unknown force was capable of."

"We have demonstrations planned for later this week," Suzuka noted. "They would have seen us in action then, so I don't think so."

"Seeing how we cope with the unexpected?" Arf suggested. "And the demonstrations wouldn't show everything we can do."

Neither answer really felt right to her, but Arisa kept her mouth closed for the moment.

Lindy spoke up again. "Well, we'll keep our eyes and ears open, and see if the Americans have any intel for us. In the meantime, I think the danger is passed for now. Let's look ahead. And Arisa, Suzuka... happy homecoming!"

That forced a chuckle out of the short-haired blonde. Happy homecoming, indeed.

x~~*~~x

"It didn't work," Yukoshi commented, watching the news channel covering the "alien arrival." He glanced warily sideways at his relaxed guest, treating his office as if she owned it. He had to admit, though, that she might as well have.

Amaterasu shrugged, the loose straps of her white dress somehow managing to remain on her shoulders as she swirled the sake in it's small dish. "I admit, I didn't quite expect it to, but we didn't lose much in trying. And we gained valuable intel on those golems."

"Not much," Yukoshi cautiously offered, still studying her out of the corner of his eye, looking to glean any idea as to her powers and intent. "I still don't see why we don't make a contract with this outer space bureau. They are offering many technologies and protection in response to joining, and there aren't many downsides."

"That is not an option," she stated flatly, her eyes holding the hint of a glare. "I told you that it is our mission to see to it that these bureau people leave Earth totally alone. That means no one making contracts."

Yukoshi didn't comment on that. Even though he led the largest yakuza crime family in Japan, or perhaps because of it, he knew when to keep his mouth shut. He wasn't quite sure who exactly this Amaterasu was and what power she commanded, but his predecessor had risen his hand against her and had paid the price. Yukoshi was only sixty percent sure the body was somewhere at the bottom of the Sea of Japan.

He had been second in command of the Golden Dragons, but he had occasionally seen her hanging around his predecessor, the old man who had run the Golden Dragons for nearly 50 years. However, at those times, she had merely stood in the background, as if tiredly observing as the old man had given orders to Yukoshi. Several days ago, he had come in to find the old man gone, and her standing there.

"_Congratulations, Yukoshi, you are the new leader of the Golden Dragons," she had told him with a sly smile on her face. She casually sauntered over to the window, letting the moonlight bathe her in luminescence as she turned and gazed at him with eyes that seemed to pierce his soul. "I do hope you don't disappoint me. I'd have to make another appointment so soon."_

And then she had disappeared, faded away like wisps of smoke. She had connections, of that he was sure; not only with the crime families like the Triad across the sea, but also with various governments. When she said something would happen, it did. Her power was immense, but she seemed to only ever exercise it from the shadows. Was she really the Goddess of the Sun? Or was it merely an assumed name, meant to convey her assumed status? Whatever it was, her very presence charged the air and left him with no doubt that she did have power.

"I'll just have to be more subtle about evicting them," she reasoned aloud, but more to herself than to the man sharing the office with her. "They'll eventually return to their embassy in Japan, so I'll focus on them here where I have more power. The Asian territories are my domain."

He raised his eye at that, noting that her power and reach did have limits. But what were the exact nature of those limits? It implied there was a reason she didn't have power elsewhere, which meant someone, or a group, held power over her. Yukoshi filed it away for later contemplation. It would require much thought, as a single misstep would awaken the tiger in this woman. There would definitely be no second chances.

She finally turned towards him, gracing him with a smile that sent chills down his spine. "Now, my dear Yukoshi, there are some things I want you to do for me..."

x~~*~~x

"I still don't like this," Arisa spouted gruffly, crossing her arms over her chest as the long, black limousine they were riding in traveled along the streets of New York city, various crowds cheering or booing them. The revelation of extraterrestrials was having the result she expected on the population.

They had left Vice, Suzuka, and the others back at the air base with the shuttle and golems, taking this complimentary diplomatic limousine to the UN where the admiral and leader of the Bureau diplomatic mission would give her speech to the world, and the gathered governments. Hopefully, it would alleviate some of the worry about their arrival and presence. In the meantime, a simple spell pre-loaded into Terra, her AI now in dog-tag form around Arisa's neck, had made sure any spying devices were neutralized.

"The mission or the travel arrangements?" Lindy asked diplomatically with an amused smile.

"The latter," she replied, scanning the crowds for signs of trouble. But she might as well have been trying to find a needle in a haystack. "I know you wanted to travel light in order for Earth to trust you more, but as your head of security, it's my job to worry about these things. I just feel we're a bit too vulnerable like this. We should have at least brought one golem."

While she was head of security and immediate commander of the four golems, General Adams in the _Ventek_ was still overall commander of combat forces. However, mostly that meant a couple squads of enforcers with gun devices, vehicles, and military support personnel. It was a small command post that Arisa might have thought was a demotion for the General, but he seemed amicable about the assignment.

"You sound so much like my son," Lindy mused, earning a roll of the eyes from the blonde-haired woman. "Always a stickler for rules and procedure. Although Amy has managed to soften him up some, for which I'm grateful." The smile faded slightly. "But this is how things have to be handled. Earth isn't my first mission where I revealed the reality of the universe to the natives. We can only build a good, solid relationship with trust, and having a golem flying over us would give the impression we're conquerors."

"I just don't like walking into things blind and unprotected," Arisa replied bluntly. "You don't know Earth as well as I do. I sometimes wonder if they are ready for this. All it takes is one nutball... and sometimes it's a global conspiracy group that has a load of missiles."

"I'm not exactly vulnerable, Arisa," Lindy reminded her, holding up a finger.

Arisa put her hands together and made flapping motions with her fingers. "Yeah, but the moment you put up a shield or barrier, you sprout wings. That's going to be a wee bit hard to shrug off. You're supposed to be human; a _non-magical_ human. Aliens will be hard enough for my planet. Magical aliens will blow their minds."

"I'm glad I have you, then!" the jovial admiral replied, then glanced out the window. "And well, we shouldn't be totally blind, as I have a couple of operatives looking into things. Look, we're here!"

Arisa blinked. "Operatives? What operatives?" She let out a near-grumbling frustrated sigh as the car stopped and the door opened to cheering crowds, and Lindy stepped out, waving.

Arisa sighed and did her bodyguard thing, walking just behind and to the right of the seemingly-naive admiral as she walked to the red carpet into the building.

x~~*~~x

"...over a hundred years, the Time-Space Administration Bureau has helped foster peace and cooperation among a hundred different worlds," Lindy was saying from the podium where she was addressing the UN, while Arisa watched from a special VIP booth nearby. "We're not an army, but a space police organization. We don't interfere in worlds that don't want us to; indeed, we only go where we are wanted, and then only to help."

"Not an army?" the Russian delegate questioned in disbelief. '"Then what do you call that ship up there? What do you call those walking tanks you brought with you?"

Though he spoke thick Russian, Arisa was wearing a standard Earth headset where a human translator translated the words after a short delay. It was provided by the U.N. Staff, but Arisa didn't tell them that Russian was one of the languages she spoke and understood. And she also didn't tell them that a magical program woven into devices, allowed instant understanding of all of Earth's languages. It didn't matter if it was Russian or Farsi that was spoken; each member of the Bureau team would hear it in whatever language was easiest for them.

Lindy let a small smile show. "The _Ventek_ is merely our transportation, and any weapons we bring with us are for self-defense only, although we are open to assisting with humanitarian efforts if requested. Also, we are willing to share some of our advanced technology and medical techniques with countries that would welcome our presence."

"At what cost?" the American representative inquired. "We're entitled to your benevolence, only if we give up the right to self-governance?"

"Not quite, but full details can be worked out in negotiation," Lindy replied.

"Really?" Arisa almost blurt out, but then quieted her voice back down. "Are you really going to look a gift horse in the mouth?"

"That's Senator Armstrong," came Suzuka's voice in her earpiece. She was still back at the base, helping to safeguard their shuttle and golems. "Remember, I told you that America would feel threatened by all of this."

"I know, I know," Arisa replying, shrugging it off. She continued to scan the crowd via the other monitors, looking for the operatives that Lindy had mentioned previously. But without knowing who they were, she realized there would be little chance she'd notice them. It bothered her, but she trusted Lindy.

"We have a few different arrangements with different planets, the most common being un-administered world status, which is what we currently consider Earth," the diplomatic admiral continued from the podium "It simply means we take a hands-off approach, unless directly requested. Anything more than that is up to you. We are just approaching you now, because we feel Earth has advanced enough to know what lies out there. We've seen your work on various spaceflight technologies, and know that you will soon take your place among the stars, like so many other worlds. We'd rather that be a peaceful event, with you knowing what awaits you, so your people can make the best choice for themselves."

"And if we decide it is in our best interests for you to leave and never come back?" the British delegate questioned.

Lindy was unfazed. "Freedom is your right, as we recognize with all sentient life. If all of Earth wishes us to go, then we shall. But for now, the Japanese government has been kind enough to lend us space for an embassy, and it is our hope that, regardless of the direction of our relationship, we can keep it open to maintain the lines of communication, just as the rest of your countries do for each other."

She paused as various murmurs filled the U.N. auditorium from various representatives conferring with each other. It was also to give time for the translators to catch up.

"When will negotiations begin?" the Chinese delegate asked, which provoked a bigger furor that forced the Attorney General of the UN to try and restore order.

Once more, Suzuka piped into Arisa's earpiece. "Figures. It looks like the Republic of China is eager to sign up. They want to set up factories in China and copy the technology, just like they do with any other company. Being the first would bring prestige and power, enabling them to catch up and surpass the US."

"Which is a big reason why the US is against this, I know, you said that already," Arisa droned, giving up her search of the crowds and returning to the speech as Suzuka mumbled an apology over the channel.

"We would prefer to negotiate with all the countries of Earth as a whole, through this assembly," Lindy answered tactfully, refusing to rise to the bait, making Arisa add some more grudging respect for her. "But if that isn't possible, we are prepared to begin limited individual negotiations, once we hear back from all of Earth's governments." She paused to smile warmly, not incidentally looking directly at the camera. "But it is our hope, that this will be the beginning of a grand friendship that benefits all."

[No doubt about it,] Arisa throught to herself, shaking her head. [She knows how to play the game.] She paused to note that the auditorium had quieted down considerably, although she also noted that Armstrong was conferring with an aide, and frowning unhappily. [Let's just hope she knows how to play it well enough to succeed.]

x~~*~~x

An hour later, that notion of "success" was put into doubt, on their trip back to the Air Force base from the UN building.

"Unknown on motorcycle heading straight for D1!"

Arisa and Lindy stared at each other with the announcement from one of the agents in the motorcade; D1 was the call-sign for the diplomatic limo they were traveling in!

Immediately, Arisa was in motion, drawing her handgun and relaying orders to increase speed, even though she knew the limo would never outrun a motorcycle. And the high-pitched whine of the motorcycle's engine, let her know that the machine approaching them was well-tuned for speed. The guard agents on the motorcycles and other vehicles guarding their limo were swerving and beginning to open fire, but the unknown assailant was deftly dodging and taking them out, one by one.

Arisa absently wondered who this guy was, while double-checking the charge on her magic stun gun, verifying it was at 100%. The weapon was relatively new, developed as a "dumb" weapon that held a small magical charge, yet fired energy bullets that could knock an individual unconscious. She switched it to fire off a wide burst; she wasn't about to take any chances as she prepared to pop the sunroof.

"Second bogey approaching, just as rapidly!" came another announcement. "Appears to be two individuals on this one."

Before Arisa could even begin to process this new information, Lindy interrupted on the channel. "Ignore the second, they are friendlies. Concentrate on the first."

The woman who was _supposed_ to be head of the Admiral's security detail, shot a look at her commander, but Lindy was merely glancing at a data pad in her hand. "Admiral, what are you-"

But there was no time to finish her sentence; she could see the enemy cyclist approaching, through the darkened, privacy-glass-tinted rear window. Relying on her sense of timing, Arisa slid open the sunroof and pointed, releasing the stored up charge in a single wide shot. Her sense of elation rose as the expanding wave of yellow energy approached it's target, covering the entire width of the road from guard rail to guard rail. But the feeling promptly faded as the motorcycle suddenly shot into the air on tongues of flame.

[A turbo boost!] she thought incredulously while she rushed to prepare another shot. The downside of the mode she had selected, was that it took awhile for the magical capacitors to store up enough energy.

That was when the airborne cyclist fired several shots, forcing Arisa to duck down under cover the limo's bulletproof plating. She seethed and prepared to pop back up for another shot, but the limo driver yanked hard to the side to dodge the assailant coming down on them, and the gun went flying from her hand as she was jerked around in the cabin.

**Thunk!**

Arisa felt something hit the car door, but it took her a moment to realize it wasn't the motorcycle; it had landed nearby, and was now speeding away. No, in that split second, her mind had determined the sound was much too light, and had to have been something smaller.

[A magnetic bomb!] her mind suddenly realized. And she had no idea how powerful it was, although she guessed that it had a very short fuse; could she even get to it in time?

Before she could begin climbing onto the roof, a shadow cast itself upon her, and she glanced up to see the second motorcycle also in the air, and then one of the occupants leap off, a sword raised with both hands and a long pony tail trailing above from under the helmet. Arisa instinctively brought Terra in knife mode, but she realized a moment later that the helmeted blade-wielder wasn't aiming for her... but for the side of the limo that the previous cyclist had just departed from. In one smooth motion, she (and Arisa presumed it was a she) landed on the side of the limo, swiped quickly with her blade, then rebounded off the automobile.

Grabbing ahold of the side of the sunroof, Arisa averted her eyes as the bomb exploded shortly after being dislodged. The limo careened sideways due to the concussive force of the blast, slamming into the opposite guard rail, sending half-exposed blonde flying out of the sunroof. She retained enough presence of mind to break her fall by tumbling through the grass and dirt, but ended up with several scrapes and cuts as her movement was promptly aborted by several bushes on the other side of the guard rail.

And suddenly everything was quiet again, save for the muted sound of burning in the distance, and the approaching sirens. Painfully, Arisa pulled herself upright and held her sprained arm as she braced her body against a tree, and then began to trek back up the short incline to check on Lindy. She shook her head, internally cursing that her hearing was damped due to the earlier blast, but knowing it would eventually return. In the meantime, she had to check on her commander.

Lindy was now outside the car, directing people to put out fires and help the injured. But Arisa was dumbstruck that there wasn't a mark on the woman; her uniform wasn't even scuffed!

The Admiral seemed to realize she was there, and turned and smiled. "Oh, there you are; are you alright? You should really learn to wear your seat belt. Anyway would you assist me in treating the wounded?"

Arisa just stared.

x~~*~~x

"We've identified the missile as a BrahMos type," Chrono announced from the holoscreen. A second holoscreen held various images and schematics of the weapon they were attacked with.

Now safely back in Japan, in the embassy building set aside for them by the Japanese government, a closed door meeting had been called to discuss the latest intelligence on the, not one, but two "incidents" that day. Arisa had to bark a short laugh at the term used to describe the twin attempts on their lives.

"I know what is is," she stated in response to Chrono, staring at it. In both her position as head of security for the diplomatic mission, and as a personal hobby, she knew much about Earth's weapons systems. "Co-developed by India and Russia. 290 kilometer range, travels at mach 2.8 to 3.0, and we were below 15 kilometers, and thus in it's range. The characteristics fit." Something else was nagging at her, however she quite place her finger on it.

"Furthermore, the _Ventek_ was able to record a visual confirmation, although the missiles lacked any markings," Chrono concurred. "We've furnished this evidence to the American, Russian, and Indian governments, however the latter two have denied any knowledge of launching the attack. The Americans are a bit more interested, but don't seem to be in a hurry to ruffle international feathers at this time."

"They are still in a bit of shock from the realization they aren't the number power on the planet anymore," Suzuka added, politics being her side hobby. "At least, there is the possibility that they might not be, if other countries sign on with the Bureau. They want our technology, but not our oversight. If we were shot down, they could analyze our scrap."

"But the only technology we'd offer directly would be mundane," Vice stated in a questioning tone. "Enhanced manufacturing, energy, food, and clean water generation. Things to bring their standard of living up. Defensive technology would simply be in the treaty to defend them in the event of attack."

"And spaceflight, eventually," Lindy added. "They are going to get out there, and then they will have access to other worlds, and other places to get technology. The hope is that, seeing that they aren't alone in the universe, the countries of Earth would band together more. But it may take time before that happens."

"Which will only happen if we stay, and that leaves us with the parties behind this attack," Chrono said, bringing the discussion back to the main topic.

Suddenly, it hit her, and Arisa's eyes widened. "Wait! The attack was launched from the sea! The BrahMos missile was slated to undergo modifications to allow it be launched from a submarine, but it's not supposed to have that capability yet!" She paused thoughtfully. "At least, that's what the official reports state."

"And according to our contacts in Hong Kong, no one knows how so many missiles got out undetected," Kyoya supplied. "There was some noise about an internal investigation, but it doesn't seem to be happening. The gut feeling is that any investigation won't find anything."

Arisa eyed them again, still in a bit of a shock to see Kyoya and Miyuki a part of this; she hadn't yet had a time to talk with them more privately, but it was on her to-do list. Why hadn't Lindy told her that these were the secret operatives she had hired? She was supposed to be the head of security for this little operation!

Suzuka glanced uncertainly around the table. "So we're back to square one?"

"Let me take a small team, perhaps Arf and Kyoya, and we'll infiltrate the BrahMos corporation," Arisa stated confidently. "We'll find out where the missiles came from and who fired them."

All eyes turned to Lindy, who seemed to consider it, and then shook her head. "No. We're here to build trust, and any break-in will point back to us, since we were the target of the attack."

"But the countries of Earth do that to each other all the time!" Arisa protested. "And we wouldn't get caught; they wouldn't even know we were there!"

"No, _captain_," Lindy repeated, putting emphasis on the title. Arisa knew that meant Lindy's decision was final, and that Arisa was close to crossing the line. "If someone is working against us, they will try again, and in doing so, expose more of themselves. If it was an isolated incident, then we don't have much to worry about. From what I read, both Russia and India will be very nervous about the use of so many of their highly-developed missile. I'll work through back diplomatic channels to see if I can glean anything."

Chrono coughed politely. "In the meantime, we are left with the second incident."

"We received Lindy's request several months ago, and we've been paying attention to the underworld ever since," Kyoya started to explain. "Miyuki and I had had just managed to inflitrate a building, when the assassin left on motorcycle. We persued, and the rest you know. And I'm sorry he got away." the man appeared genuinely apologetic, but he sobered up. "Oddly, there was considerably chatter only days after the Bureau had made the decision to send a delegation to Earth, long before you guys showed up in orbit and announced yourselves."

The implication was clear, but Vice stated it anyway. "Somehow, they knew we were coming?"

Kyoya nodded, and Arisa couldn't help but notice that Miyuki stayed quiet, seemingly deferring to her brother to handle the explanations. "We still can't say how, but we did hear that one of the groups we've been tracking for a long time, the Clover Leaf organization, had hired an assassin. The trail of bread crumbs indicated an attack during your trip back, and that led to our infiltration of a warehouse building in downtown New York. The FBI and CIA are combing it over now, but I don't they'll find anything."

"And our route was supposed to be a secret until that day," Arisa noted. She frowned. "I don't like this; it smells too much like someone knows what we're going to do, shortly after we make plans."

"Arisa-chan, you're not suggesting we have a spy in our midst, are you?" Suzuka questioned with a hesitant voice.

Silence descended on the table, and the air became a bit charged as everyone glanced warily at everyone else. Arisa's gaze snapped over to Lindy; was this why she hadn't said anything about Kyoya and Miyuki? Did she already suspect they might have been compromised? Judging by how quickly a force had launched that first attack, it felt like someone on Earth knew they were coming, but no one should have... which would have pointed to either someone on the expedition, or someone in the Bureau on Mid-Childa.

Lindy shook her head and placed her hands on the table. "I trust everyone here," she stated with a firm finality. "There are other ways information could be obtained. True, it does imply that someone on Earth has contact with someone in the Bureau, but that's part of why I hired Kyoya and Miyuki to help us. Not only are they fine bodyguards, but they know Earth's criminal underground well. If there is a conspiracy here, they'll find it." Her lips turned upward into a wry smile. "And besides, we knew going in that not everyone would be glad to see us. On every world the Bureau has visited for the first time, there have always been some natives who felt differently.

The smile disappeared as she folded her hands together, resting her arms on the table, all signs of the admiral's normally jovial manner absent. "However, the implications still remain and are quite clear: Someone on Earth doesn't want us here, and seems to be going to great lengths to make us go away. But they won't deter us; we have a job to do, and I mean to succeed."

And that, above all else, was a sentiment Arisa could share.

x~~*~~x

Author's notes:

Beginning with this chapter, I'm gonna detail a bit of information about each golem, their capabilities and what they are based on; mainly for those gundam and mecha fans out there. Starting with:

Golem: Terra

Pilot: Arisa Bannings

Based on(appearance): the stereotypical Gundam design, such as the Strike Gundam from Gundam Seed

Capabilities: Being the original prototype, Terra is an all-around model with versatility at its heart. It's standard weapon is the Magical Positron Gun, which fires single shots at medium range, as well as a "Full-charge" that dumps considerably more magic into a single beam, but that requires a shorter range to target. Lastly, the gun has an energy beam bayonet for close range. For multiple targets, the artillery arrays which unfold on it's shoulders and legs unleash dozens of thin blue beams which home onto locked targets or saturate a given area. Capable of receiving equipment modifications based on mission assignments, Terra is also the only golem that's currently equipped with a Relic, which charges the magical battery slowly over time.


	3. Uncertainty Principle

**Magical Lyrical G-Squad**

**Chapter 3: Uncertainty Principle**

Xx~~*~~xX

"...and while the FBI, CIA, and the police are still looking into it, so far there has been concrete answers as to who was behind the attack on the Bureau visitors' motorcade yesterday," the female news reporter on the TV was finishing up. "Back to you, Nana."

Yukoshi kept one eye on his supposed superior, the woman who was still claiming to be the ancient Japanese sun goddess, Amaterasu. To a normal person, her face appeared to be an impassioned mask, with no trace of emotion detected. But Yukoshi didn't climb this high in the the top yakuza crime organization without being able to read people. The slight muscle twitch, the way the body changed positions, and even slight eye movement... all spoke to what a person tried to keep buried. In this case, there was only one conclusion:

Amaterasu was upset.

"I thought we were going to wait until they entered Japanese soil, to stage our attack on them?" Yukoshi inquired, carefully trying to phrase his question as... tactly as possible.

She promptly clicked off the TV and glared at him. "I know you're studying me, looking for weaknesses. You humans are all the same. While you are free to do so, know that I am always in complete control at all times, and that will never change." The admission surprised him, and he found himself more curious than anything when she sighed. "I will tell you some of what I told your predecessor; I control the Asian territories. As that implies, other beings such as myself, control other parts of this world. In the Americas, this is currently one known as 'Raven.' It is he who jumped the gun with this botched assassination attempt, perhaps looking to gain favor."

Yukoshi raised an eyebrow. "Gain favor? With who?"

"Our holy mother, the oldest and most powerful of all of us," she answered freely. "Yes, there is a hierarchy. I will not tell you who she is, but know that each region leader is second to her. Perhaps, in your terms, we might be called vice presidents, while she is president. Although we all rule consensually in a council."

Her frankness regarding her secrets was surprising to him, but he got the impression there was far more that she _wasn't_ telling him. Human? She wasn't human? Then what was she? An alien like these Bureau people? Or was she truly the goddess of Japanese mythology? He knew a little about other cultures, and thus had a little notion of the name 'Raven' which he recalled to be one of the gods of the native American tribes.

If she was aware of his thoughts, she gave no sign, and instead continued. "I tell you all of this, because I know you are seeking ways to use things against me. Know this: Each of us, while we may bear some antagonism to each other, will never listen to, or stoop to seeking help from, a human. None of my peers, or those of my kind, would work with you to overthrow me. They know that if you'd betray me, you'd betray them as well. So if you are thinking of using that angle, I would warn you not to. I don't care if you try, as you'll just end up like your predecessor. But it would be a pain to train a new dog."

Her grin was ever Cheshire-like, as if she was daring him to try. Her expression told him that she caught that barest of flinches on his face that he sought to hide, too. He wasn't immune to being read, either, and while he got the impression he was just a dog to her, it did rankle him a bit to hear her say it so bluntly.

"On the contrary," he tried to disagree, yet still keeping his tone carefully neutral. "I have no interest in following in my predecessor's footsteps in that regard. I came this far, knowing who wielded power, and knowing how to respect that power."

She studied him for a bit, which gave him that unsettling feeling she was gazing into his very soul. If she was reading his mind, she gave no outward sign. Still, her continued gaze him him feel most uncomfortable.

"Now, as for business..." she said at last, holding our her sake dish for him to fill. "Did you gather the required personnel and data for transport?"

"Yes," he confirmed, also deeply unsettled by the task she had given him. And almost as put out at having to be a simple server to her, filling her drink. "There are a couple more that my men are rounding up, but all will be on the boat tonight. We have several nuclear engineers on our payroll, or in our debt. They are falling in line to protect their families. But I must register my displeasure at sending them to North Korea. Kim Jong Un is almost likely as crazy as his father, although he is mostly a puppet to the generals. One of the few things everyone in the world agrees upon, is not letting them have nuclear weapons."

To be sure, he was a yakuza and thus had no compunctions about torture or murder or theft, or whatever would get the job done. But he was first and foremost dedicated to Japan, as all yakuza were. They knew there was no business, if Japan was reduced to rubble. In the aftermath of disasters, many yakuza were out there rescuing people and helping to rebuild Japan. It made no business sense to have your home destroyed in the name of profit.

But sending resources to another country? One as hated and insane as North Korea?

"I told you, I control all Asian territories," she replied simply, not elaborating on how while emptying her sake dish in one gulp. "It has suited me to have North Korea in the shape it is in. Sometimes it pays to have variety in the resources one controls. The insanity it projects, makes it a perfect thorn for multiple sides. But have no worries; they will not be launching nuclear weapons at Japan." She gave him a stern look. "Know also that I do not have to explain myself to you. I do so now because you are still new to me, and I know what I tell you will make your job a little easier. When I give you orders, no matter what they are, I expect them to be carried out as accurately as possible. Is that understood?"

"Yes," he answered, perhaps more quickly than he was comfortable with.

This wasn't like serving a normal yakuza boss; she unnerved him, due to how many questions still surrounded her. Still, perhaps she had given away a bit more than she intended. She repeatedly made it clear that she wasn't human, and that there were more of their kind. But with her powers, why didn't their kind rule openly? Clearly they could. However, he got the distinct impression there wasn't many of them. If she was a goddess, and Raven was a god, then it might indicate all of their kind considered themselves gods. Even though Japan had thousands of gods, most cultures had much, much less... could this hint their numbers were limited? If so, why? Could they not procreate as much as humans could? If Amaterasu was the original, and she hadn't been replaced by a son or daughter by now... could they even have children?

There were still so many questions, but Yukoshi had long loved solving problems and figuring out solutions. And he was confident he could solve hers.

x~~*~~x

Suzuka hugged the man tightly in the hall on the embassy's second floor. "I missed you... big brother!"

Kyoya lightly blushed at the teasing line, which made the nearby Miyuki chuckle. "Brother-in-law, that is. And we missed you, too. Sorry we haven't been keeping in touch as much as you'd probably like, but we've been fairly deep undercover the past year."

And in fact, they had been busy the past several days as well, due to moving into the Bureau embassy in Japan. Everyone had been running around to get things done, in addition to safeguarding Lindy as she met with various representatives and ambassadors. Also, the entire expedition had been on high alert for any new attacks. But it had been fairly quiet on the home front for the past several days, so Lindy finally downgraded alert status to normal. And with everything now mostly setup, Suzuka finally had a chance to talk with the Takamachi siblings.

"I see that, now," Suzuka answered, impressed. "Is that how long Lindy has been working you for? She really does her homework. Did you discover anything?"

"Not too much, I'm afraid," Miyuki answered, finally speaking up. "We haven't infiltrated very far, and our informants didn't have any concrete info. But in the past several months, various underworld sectors around the world have been gearing up for something"

"We could never figure out what for, or why," Kyoya added, taking over. "If it was in response to the Bureau coming, then they have some inside track that we haven't been able to pinpoint. I'll be heading back out in the field, though, in the next day or two to resume the investigation."

A big smile formed on Suzuka's face. "So does that mean you two can at least spend a night out on the town with us? Now that we're settled in, and the alert level has lowered, we have some free time. And I haven't heard from my sister yet; is she with you?"

"We'd love to!" Miyuki stated with a warm smile, then she looked a bit uncomfortable. "But, umm, I don't think your sister can..."

One again, Kyoya took over, while he pulled an envelope from his breast pocket. "Shinobu sends her regrets, but she's caught up in some family business at your estate in Germany, and won't make it back to Japan for at least a week or two. She did prepare this letter for you, however."

Suzuka gratefully accepted it, studying it curiously for a moment. It had worried her, and perhaps disturbed her a bit, that her own sister hadn't contacted her at all since she had arrived. She hadn't replied to any of the texts or e-mails, nor would she even answer Suzuka's phone calls. She thought about asking Kyoya, but this wasn't the right time, and perhaps the letter would provide some clue.

"Cute kitty!" Miyuki cooed suddenly, reaching over to scratch the chin of the black kitten on Suzuka's shoulder. "What's its name?"

Suzuka smiled, sliding the envelope into her pants pocket. "His name is Whiskers, and he's my device. I sometimes forget he's up there, since he's with me almost all of the time."

"Device?" Miyuki questioned, eying the now-happily-purring feline. "He seems like a real kitten..."

"I programmed him to be that way most of the time, even though he does have some basic AI speech when needed," Suzuka answered. "Anyway, looks like we're just waiting on four other people... and there's Vice and Alto!"

Said Seargent Major had just appeared around the corner, Alto at his side, and he waved. "We're ready to go! I'm looking forward to seeing what your world has to show us." He paused, glancing around the hallway. "Aren't we missing some people?"

"Well, Arf wanted to take this time to go visit Amy and her kids, so we're just waiting on-"

The door at the other side of the hall, which all noted as Lindy's office, opened and closed, producing a somewhat sullen-faced Arisa who promptly sighed.

"There's one of them," Suzuka stated wryly, then looked a bit concerned. "Arisa-chan? Are you okay?"

The short-haired blonde showcased a smile as she waved and approached the growing group. "I'll tell you about it later. Right now, I just want to blow off some steam with a night of karaoke. So let's go!"

"We're still missing Otto, though," Alto noted, glancing around. "Wasn't she going to join us, too?"

Suzuka bit her lip. "Yes, she was... I'll go check on her, and meet up with you guys in the parking garage."

x~~*~~x

Had she really been here before? It all seemed so familiar, and yet not.

_Gid... tice rid... et's play!_

Vague flashes of images and sound teased Arf's mind as she walked through the garden in front of the house. From a pure factual standpoint, she knew this as the Harlaown house on Earth, where Amy was raising the two children she had with Chrono. But on some other level, Arf felt like she had been here before. Of course, she had, according to the records and information Fate and her friends had shared in the year from her "birth." But that was just abstract information.

Over a year ago, she had supposedly been reborn as a Guardian Beast, an ancient form of familiar creation that involved more mana than a familiar, and thus wasn't tied to any specific master. She could draw mana on her own from her surroundings to sustain herself. She had been told that she - or was it her predecessor? - had sacrificed herself to save Fate.

_We're... Flow... ters... name of... punish..._

Even the fragrance inhaled by a simple rose sniff was enough to kindle more images, along with sounds of playing and laughing; the unknown accompanying feelings spoke of a happier time, which made her all the more confused at why she had put this off for so long. Was she afraid of what she'd find? Is that why she used the excuse of the golem squad to come to Earth, finally? Why should she be afraid at all? What was the source of the hesitancy in her heart? Could she be afraid of finding out who she used to be?

A young boy's call broke her thoughts. "Mama, Arf's back!"

As the guardian-beast-in-human-form looked up, a small human nearly tackled her as he sprinted from the front door and hugged her, leaving her speechless. Instinctively, she knew he wasn't a threat.

"Aww, why aren't you in doggy form?" he pouted, glancing up at her with wavering eyes. "I wanna ride!"

A name popped into her head. "Karel."

But did she know his name merely because she had looked up the housing roster in advance? Or did it come from a deeper memory? Arf didn't know, and perhaps that was a part of her fear.

She smiled and reached down to ruffle his hair. "Sorry, maybe in a bit."

"Arf!" a little girl's voice echoed, and in the next moment, a second form was hugging her waist.

Somehow moved by the actions of the two children, Arf, bent down to hug both, pulling up a name to attach to the girl. "Hi, Liera!"

That's when she noticed a young woman standing in the doorway, smiling and patiently observing the scene. "Welcome home, Arf!"

Arf struggled for a moment, before forming her reply. "Thank you... Amy."

x~~*~~x

Otto dropped her golem lower to the ground, picking out targets as she flew.

Her hands, buried in two separate openings in her control console, tweaked and rotated the handles within, allowing her to pilot the six meter tall machine as if it were her own body. The control nooks also served a dual purpose; they could absorb her Ray Storm output, projecting it outside the golem through several weapon emplacements. It also absorbed and strengthened her barrier skills, although her default was channeling them to the immense shield pontoons on her arms, which made her golem one of the strongest defensively as well.

For now, Otto chose regular attacks, firing off four normal curving green beams from the twin bores on each shield pontoon, taking a half a dozen tanks on the ground as she landed. Once amongst the trees which barely topped the golem itself, she broke into a running gait, which conserved more magical battery strength over direct flight. Also, the trees provided some cover from return fire, and that showed immediate showed benefit as cannon and missile fire landed more around instead of impacting directly. The enemy was reduced to guessing her position instead.

Of course, the trees also mostly blocked her own line of sight to her target, but her spatial memory kept her aware of it's general location. The problem was that there were too many defenses; heading straight for it would exhaust her shield strength, but she couldn't take too long since it would let her allies down.

"Andro," she spoke calmly, feeding data directly to her Intelligent Device, interfaced with the golem.

"Processing," came the monotone electronic voice, accompanied by a scroll of data detailing methods of approach. "Saturation Assault System charging."

Otto steered her golem in a semi-circle towards the target, dropping back slightly to make herself a harder target, while twin panels on her golem's chest slide open, revealing a dozen barrels each. She continued to feed energy into the system, as Andro plotted the coordinates and the distance ticked down. 6 kilometers... 5 kilometers... 4 kilometers... Once it hit three and the SAS reached 100%, Otto planted her golem's legs and thumbed the trigger.

Dozens of large green beams exploded from the golem's chest, the stored up Ray Storm energy enhanced by magic arcing up into the air, then down again to carpet a large section of forest three kilometers away. Return fire from dozens of missiles sought her out since she had just given away her position, but she was already moving even before her own initial attack landed, triggering her back mounted boosters to rocket across the ground, a few feet off the forest floor.

She entered the carpet-bombed sector, the ground pockmarked by dozens of craters and the smoking hulls of many tanks and other vehicles, and lined up the command center as it came into range. Her golem was rocked side-to-side as 155mm cannon shells rained down upon her shields, but they held up long enough for her to get a lock. Raising the golem's right hand, a larger barrel emerged from the forearm while Otto poured her Ray Storm energy into a single shot that pierced the command and control building, exploding it in a shower of molten steel and flaming metal.

"Simulation Success," Andro intoned, the screens fading as the pilot removed her arms from the control sockets and sat back, letting out a breath.

"Compile data for later review, and prepare to run simulation #223-" Otto started to say, then paused as a tapping came from the hatch. She leaned her chair back and popped the exit open, looking up into the upside down face of one of her comrades.

"I figured I'd find you here," Suzuka informed her with a gentle smile. "I was wondering if you'd like to come with the rest of us; we're going to show Vice and Alto the night life in this town, and we'd like to show you, too."

Otto was hesitant. "I am not sure; I have a few more simulations to run, and-"

Suzuka rolled her eyes. "You've been running simulations nonstop since you became a pilot, even on the trip to Earth. You can't spend your life in there; Come on, it'll be fun!

Her device seemed to agree, as it shut down the golem and popped out the dog tag interface device. Otto sighed and pulled it out out of the center of the control console, letting the purple-haired technician pull her out.

"That's the spirit!" Suzuka cheered, helping the cyborg out. "I promise, you'll have lots of fun!"

Otto was unsure, but apparently the woman wasn't going to take no for an answer.

x~~*~~x

"Come in," Lindy proclaimed while trying to get used to writing on a computer with such a clunky physical keyboard. And the mouse... how did Earthlings use these things without finger and wrist cramps?

General Adams appeared in the doorway, his face carefully neutral, although Lindy could detect annoyance there. "Your next appointment is here, Admiral."

The Bureau diplomat sighed, and then made a beckoning gesture; she was _not_ looking forward to this. "Send him in."

A smaller man of Asian descent, wielding a briefcase, made an appearance and quickly took the chair opposite Lindy's desk, gracing her with nervous smile. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea wishes to welcome you, Admiral Lindy Harlaown, and your expedition to Earth!"

[North Korea, you mean,] Lindy added mentally, while keeping a warm, diplomatic expression. "Thank you, Mr...?"

"Choi Chin, but you may simply call me Chin," he offered, nodding his head in a small bow.

"Well, thank you for your warm greeting, Mr. Chin," she replied, keeping her professional decorum. She knew what this would all be about; she was well acquainted with Earth countries, and the positions they'd take. That was just diplomacy 101: research all the angles and agendas in advance.

"Just Chin is fine," he corrected, still maintaining his smile, but seemingly growing more confident. "And I have been authorized to extend an invitation for you and your entourage to visit our great country. I am sure we have much to offer each other!"

Lindy inwardly sighed; this wasn't going to be a fun meeting.

x~~*~~x

Suzuka took a light sip from her beer glass, taking care not to get too inebriated, as Arisa launched into her rendition of "_Do You Remember Love_?" inside the small karaoke room. Of course, there were spells to help her mind remain clear from the intoxicating effects of alcohol, but they could only do so much. Especially since her magic level wasn't very high to begin with.

Slipping out of the embassy compound without the protestors outside realizing it, was fairly easy. A little misdirection spell, coupled with a little transformation magic to hide their appearance, and they were all set to go. The protestors themselves were to be expected; ever since the Bureau had set up shop, they had been there, telling the "aliens" to go home. Fortunately, they appeared to be few in number still, although there were various groups around the world making their displeasure known. And there were at least an equal number of just-as-vocal groups who supported Earth's new visitors.

Vice set his mug down and belched, earning an elbow from Alto. "Ow! Come on, Alto, loosen up! This is supposed to be a party!"And this stuff is good. You should try some!

She eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure your detox spell is in effect?"

He leaned back against the couch, smiling assuredly. "It also numbs the buzz, and that defeats the purpose of drinking. Wouldn't you agree, Suzuka?"

She smiled. "Well, Arisa-chan and I have gone out drinking more than once, before we came to the Bureau, and I admit I did miss it; Mid-Childa doesn't have much in the way of real alcohol unless you go into the seedier parts of town. How about you, Otto?"

Otto was merely glancing at the yellow-ish frothy glass. "It has a unique taste, but as a cyborg, my body does a good job automatically dealing with toxins. As a result, it doesn't do much for me."

"Too bad, you're missing out," Vice told her sympathetically, before taking another long swill.

Arisa had raised her voice during the conversation, perhaps under the impression she was being ignored. But Suzuka noted her friend had finished strong enough and clapped until Arisa bowed and took her seat beside the purple-haired girl.

"I noticed you didn't go for the English songs from that series," Suzuka teased, lips turning up into a smirk.

"You know I prefer the original Japanese in all my anime!" Arisa shot back in mock anger. "Don't you dare try to fling that English-dubbed crap at me. I can speak and understand perfect English, and it always loses a lot in translation."

"Hey, it's not too bad sometimes," Suzuka argued, picking up the song selection tablet. "And sometimes it's better. I could show you some-"

"Not interested," Arisa replied flatly, cutting her off, then brightened up. "Okay, who's next?"

"I believe it is Alto's turn, from the order we agreed on," Otto stated.

All eyes turned to the shortest woman of the group, who reddened slightly. "I don't think-"

Vice slapped her on the back. "Aw, come on! Remember what I told you about loosening up? And if you don't sing..." An evil look appeared in his eye as he turned to the three women on the other side of the table. "Say, did I ever tell you guys about Alto and the toilet incid-oof!"

Alto removed her elbow from Vice's gut. "We agreed to never mention that again." She sighed, and accepted the song selection tablet from Suzuka. "Fine, let me find something..." 

x~~*~~x

"I warn you not to underestimate the Democratic People's Republic of Korea!" Chin haughtily tossed out, shortly before exiting through the door.

"Have a nice day!" Lindy offered with a pleasant voice as the North Korean diplomat was escorted out. The smile disappeared and she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples as soon as he was gone.

"Well then, how did that go?" General Adams inquired in an amused tone that indicated he already knew the answer.

Lindy opened her eyes to see him setting down a small tray with a pair of cups and a large thermos. "You already know. They want our technology, or at least to not give anything to anyone else. I told him we could help, but only if they opened up their country and government. And gave their people better rights, and cease their efforts to develop nuclear weapons."

"All things the other countries of Earth have been trying to get it to do for a long while now," the General added with a grin, filling the cups with tea from the thermos.

Lindy sighed again as she accepted her cup of tea, then her brow furrowed and she frowned in mild vexation. "General..."

"Hmmm?"

"Where are the milk and sugar?"

"..."

x~~*~~x

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Arisa inquired as Alto helped Vice out of the small van. Though it was her responsibility to look after the well-being of her team, she also asked because they were her friends, too.

"Yes, I'll get him to his room," the smaller woman insisted as she draped an arm of the inebriated man over her shoulders.

"Told you, I'm fffine!" Vice insisted with a grin as he stumbled a bit, but Alto caught him. "Thhhanks, little buddy!"

Arisa raised an eyebrow, catching the dark look that flashed across Alto's face for a second, and then sighed as the two made their way off towards the parking garage elevator. However, her attention as quickly diverted as Suzuka brushed by her without a word.

"Hey, Suzuka-chan, are you alright?" Arisa asked, concerned.

A half-hearted wave and a "Yeah, I'm fine," were the only responses she got.

Arisa debated going after her, and she reasoned that Suzuka just needed some sleep, like the rest of them. Hopefully the small incident earlier didn't bother her too much. In the end, Arisa decided that if Suzuka was still put out tomorrow, they could have another conversation. It was too late to do anything about it tonight.

x~~*~~x

The purple-haired device-and-golem technician yawned as she walked down the hallway, heading towards her bedroom in the embassy. Suzuka could have gone to her family home instead, but there was no one there at the moment. Her parents had died when she was very young, and Shinobu was currently away with both Noel and Farin, their two maids. The latter was usually Suzuka's personal maid, but Suzuka had directed her to serve Shinobu while her normal master was away on Mid-Childa. However, that thought did remind her of the letter in her pocket, which she hastily opened and scanned.

_Suzuka,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. Forgive me for not being there, but business keeps me away at the moment. I will send Farin back to you in the next several days, however. She is eager to see you again._

_Sincerely,_

_Shinobu Takamachi_

[That's it?] Suzuka thought incredulously. [She doesn't return my calls and letters at all, and this is all I get when I finally get back?] She sighed and reached up to scratch the kitten on her shoulder. "Is this confusing to you, too, Whiskers?"

The black kitten pretended to listen, but mainly purred as it accepted its master's attention. Despite the feline's reassurance, it didn't do much for Suzuka's mood, which was already a bit sour from earlier, and now she just wanted to get some sleep.

_An explosion across the street at a closed bank, caught the small group's attention as they walked back from from the karaoke bar to their small van. Three people that Suzuka identified as robbers, promptly emerged from the smoke of the improvised opening and began sprinting towards a vehicle. She tensed, preparing to go after them, when she felt a hand on her arm. Angrily, she followed the arm up to its owner._

"_We can't," Arisa stated firmly, yet with empathy in her tone. "I want to as well, but we can't draw attention to ourselves. One condition of this outing was that we keep a low profile. We have to let the police handle it."_

_Suzuka wanted to say something, but sirens were already sounding in the distance, and shortly after the getaway car sped off, several police cars surrounded the bank, while others took off down the street the way the burglars had gone._

She should have realized things would be different, now that she was a member of the Bureau. But it still left a bad taste in her mouth; she had joined by because she wanted to make a difference, and now she had just discovered that she couldn't help her home planet, let alone her home country.

So caught up in her thoughts, that she she almost didn't register one of the male enforcers pass her in the hallway "Oh, Ms. Tsukimura, we found your last item and delivered it to your workshop."

She tiredly waved at him and mumbled a tired, "Mmm, thanks."

A minute later, it finally hit her. [Wait, last item? I already had everything set up in my lab!]

She spun to question the enforcer, but he had disappeared. Curious, she continued on and activated the lights in her workshop, easily finding the large rectangular box near the center table. It didn't look like anything she had packed before coming here, so it couldn't have been something she forgot about. And her own checklist had confirmed that she had received everything that had come along on the _Ventek_.

She found the lock on the side and prodded it, which popped up a holographic screen bearing some text, after a short screen confirmed her DNA and magic signature.

_Suzuka,_

_You've been an excellent student, and I was proud to teach you these past couple of years. You've picked up almost everything you need to know, and I feel confident you'll do a great job in your new assignment. Consider this my graduation gift to you, and a bit of a request. Due to my new duties, I am unable progress on this project, and so I entrust our special child to you. Don't hesitate to call if you have any questions!_

_Take care,_

_Shari Finieno_

The letter promptly changed to a different screen, as data scrawled rapidly across the screen. Suzuka's eyes widened as she quickly figured out what the box must have contained.

"Whiskers, save data and backup to internal hard drive," she spoke, and the kitten quickly came alive, staring at the screen as the data scrawl mirrored itself on the feline's retinas.

[So that's why...] Suzuka realized as the output of data came to a stop.

Her fingers quickly tapped in the security code and the box swung open, revealing the item inside. It appeared deactivated for the moment, and Suzuka sat down in a nearby chair while studying it, reflecting on its various functions while wondering what to do with it. Tapping her chin thoughtfully, several ideas came to mind.

She smiled. [Yes, that might work...]

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

For those who don't know, Alto's toilet incident was referred to once before, in one of the sound stages. It was never stated exactly what happened, just as something ALto doesn't want people to talk about, heh. Anyway, this week we get a short rundown on Otto's unit:

Golem: Andro

Pilot: Otto

Based on: Abyss Gundam from Gundam Seed Destiny

Capabilities: The slowest golem, but with the heaviest defenses. This unit was specially altered to take advantage of the pilot's unique IS capabilities: force barrier projection, and Ray Storm energy blasts. The former allows Otto to shield both the golem, and other targets, protecting against any attack. Both abilities are amplified by the magical battery, greatly increasing their effectiveness. The golem possesses one other capability: it can fold up into itself, the arm pontoons encasing the main body in a shell, transforming into a submersible which can withstand great pressures with ease. Originally designed for deep-water exploration, and for journeying into other high-pressure locations.


	4. Peril in the Sky

**Magical Lyrical G-Squad**

**Chapter 4: Peril in the Sky**

Xx~~*~~xX

"It's about time," Arisa commented dryly from the table, turning her attention from the TV in the corner and watching her long-time purple-haired friend enter the small embassy cafeteria.

Suzuka stifled a yawn with her hand, seemingly working on auto-pilot as she grabbed the proffered tray of food from the cook. She mumbled a "thank you" and made her way over to join her friends at one of the tables. Arf scooted over so Suzuka could sit between her and Arisa, but appeared concerned at the technician's general lethargy.

"Are you alright?" Vice questioned from the other side of the table, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine," Suzuka replied absently, beginning to dig unenthusiastically at her meal.

Arisa raised an eyebrow. "You've been zombie-like for almost a week now. And apparently you've been staying up late every night for the past two weeks! What are you working on?"

Suzuka smiled tiredly. "It's a surprise, you'll see."

"Well, it's not good for your health," Alto added. "I'm sure whatever it is, you don't have to focus so much on it. Perhaps I can even give you a hand? I'm already learning a good bit about how to service the golems."

Suzuka shook her head. "Thanks, but no. This is my special project."

Arisa eyed her old friend suspiciously. "Well, we need you at 100% in case of trouble, so if you don't get some more sleep, I'll request that Doctor Ishida issue an order for you to get some sleep."

Suzuka looked suitably abashed, as Arisa named the doctor that had become the official caretaker for the Bureau group. Sachie Ishida had been Hayate's personal doctor long ago, but had been brought in for the expedition as a compromise with Earth; they wanted an Earth doctor to check out the "alien" physiology and confirm they really were humans. Lindy could think of no one better, and one-upped Earth's representatives by inviting the doctor in for personal care of all her staff. In the process, the doctor and her nurses would begin learning about Bureau medical techniques and technology, to eventually share with Earth.

"Oh, it's on!" Arf suddenly piped up, grabbing the TV remote and turning the volume up, as all eyes were directed into the corner.

"_...and there was another sighting last night of Tokyo's newest secret vigilante, which has made waves the past few days,"_ the female TV reporter was saying. _"Only this time, one of the victims managed to get some video and audio. What you are about to see, is the alleged vigilante apparently rescuing some mugging victims."_

What followed was the shaky image from from a cellphone camera.

"...and surrender!" a female voice commanded. The camera panned over to showcase the back of a girl in a sailor fuku, pointing at several male gang members. But the oddest things were the pair of cat ears that poked out of the top of her golden hair, and the thin tail that trailed out of the top of her blue skirt's waistband, and moved with a life of its own.

"Like hell!" one of gang members crused.

Several shots could be heard, and the camera suddenly panned away as the holder probably ducked and covered, to the sound of bullets striking metal. But when it came back up, the sailor-suited girl had closed the distance with the half-dozen gang members, a glowing Round Shield deflecting bullets, and was now soundly beating the crap out of them.

"S-she's some kind of monster!" another gang member yelled, terrified. "Let's get out of here!"

"Oh no you don't!" the girl shouted, flipping one gang member to the ground, and then leaping through the air as the last two got back in their car and started the engine.

"Oh my god... is she...?" the girl holding the camera could be heard whispering, and then the image grew steadier and focused in.

The sailor-suited girl had landed in front of the car, and could be seen holding onto it while the car's tires screeched. Then the girl punched hard into the hood, plunging her hand through the metal, and the car went dead. The two gang members attempted to exit the car and flee, but she leapt towards the driver, revealing that she had taken the front bumper off and was holding it in her other hand. She quickly bent the bumper around him, practically tying him to a light pole, then turned and frowned at the second guy, now halfway down the street.

"You can't get away!" she declared with much bravado, then struck a pose, placing two fingers near her eye. "SEXY KITTY BEAM!"

The girl holding the camera could be heard gasping as a purple beam lanced out and smacked the escaping thug in the back, sending him sprawling to the ground. The sailor-suited girl with the cat ears and tail, promptly picked the now-unconscious hooligin up and put him with his friends.

"There, that takes care of the last of them," she said to herself, obviously pleased, and then turned to the victims, revealing for the first time to the camera that she had a superhero mask over her eyes. "Are you two okay?"

"Y-yes, thank you, but who are you?" the shaky-cam-bearing woman asked.

The girl struck a pose, one hand on her hip, and another making a side-ways V-sign with her fingers next to her face. "I'm Sailor Neko, defender of justice! The police will be by shortly, so you'll be okay. But remember that I'll always be here to defend you! Take care!"

And with that, Sailor Neko leapt high into the sky, landing on the top of a nearby building, and then vanished into the night.

"_As you can see, this masked vigilante showcases unusual abilities,"_ the TV reporter said as station switched back to her. _"Police are looking for her, but suspicion has already been cast by some people, __towards our recent extra-terrestrial visitors. When questioned, the Bureau's PR spokeswoman, Serena Earls, had this to say, and I quote: 'We do not know who this person is, and we are not working with, nor responsible for, her actions. Other than that, we have no comment at this time.' Back to you, Nana."_

As the TV report ended, all eyes in the cafeteria turned toward one person.

"What?" Suzuka replied meekly. "You don't think that's me, do you?"

"Your 'late nights' and the cat motif?" Arisa questioned, with arms folded across her chest and eyes half-lidded.

"She doesn't even look like me!" Suzuka protested, squirming in her seat. "Besides, I don't even own a sailor fuku."

Silence followed, which was broken by Lindy coughing politely. "Well, whoever she is, it is clear she possesses magical capabilities. We have already analyzed the film clip, and during the fuzzy section with the gun shots, we saw the glow of a Round Shield, which is presumably what blocked the bullets. If it's someone who has discovered their magical powers and is taking advantage of them, we should try to contact them. Unless she's properly trained, she could be a danger to herself or others."

"I thought I remembered reading that Earth natives generally couldn't use magic without a device," Vice questioned.

Lindy nodded. "That is what we have found. Even if they possess a linker core, it seems very difficult for them to access their magic. We have no record of anyone from Earth spontaneously showing magical abilities, at least not without being introduced to some extra-terrestrial source like Bureau contact, or specific heavy training, or use of a device."

"It was the same for Suzuka and I," Arisa noted thoughtfully. "Even though Yuuno was able to detect our cores, we needed devices in order to fully bring out our magic. Without them, even heavy training makes it difficult to process mana. I wonder why that is? Most of the people in our training classes had much better magic capabilities without a device."

"Probably something in your genetic makeup," Alto suggested. "Even though we're all human, we are all from different worlds, and thus there are bound to be differences between us."

That seemed to make sense to Suzuka, and she noted in Arisa's expression that the other woman was thinking the same. Both of them had come to similar conclusions awhile back.

"Well, anyway, finish up breakfast and then get ready to move out," Lindy stated, breaking the temporary lull. "We move out at 1100 hours."

As she left the cafeteria, normal background conversation resumed. Arisa and Suzuka finished up their meal and deposited their trays back on the cleaning shelf, each keeping to their own thoughts, at least until after they had passed through the double-doors.

"You know, this mysterious sailor-suited girl makes me feel a bit nostalgic," Arisa noted wryly.

"Why is that?" Suzuka inquired, curious.

"Don't you remember the days when it was just Nanoha, and later Fate, living their secret lives as magical girls? And look at us now, piloting mecha. I wonder... could we even be considered magical girls?"

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," Suzuka quoted from one of her favorite authors.

Arisa smiled wryly. "So, are we Sufficiently Advanced Technology Girls, then?"

Suzuka smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

x~~*~~x

"Any contacts, Seargent Granscenic?" Arisa asked, speaking into her communicator as she glanced out one of the 747-400's small port windows. She could fairly easily make out the form of his golem in fighter mode just off the left wing tip.

"Negative," came his relaxed reply, then his voice changed a bit. "I have to agree with the admiral on this one; I think you're overly worried about all this. No one is likely to attack the South Korean president's official plane. At least, not with the escort we have." He chuckled. "Decent looking planes, but if trouble does happen, the slowpokes better stay out of my way."

She couldn't see all of them, but Arisa knew there were a dozen F-15K's from South Korea's Air Force as an official escort. While she appreciated the gesture, she didn't really like that they were using the South Korean president's plane. Sure, he was on board and in a meeting with Lindy, but as the admiral's persona head of security, it was Arisa's belief that traveling in the shuttle was better. She felt more in control there, versus here. And the shuttle would allow them to take all the golems, instead of just having Storm Raider in fighter mode as an escort. Well, there was Otto down below, hidden beneath the waves, but that was a secret. And in a pinch, Alto could fly Arf and the other two mecha out, although that would take time.

"I suppose you're right," Arisa conceded. "At any rate, keep me updated."

"Everything alright?" a taller Korean man in a formal suit and tie inquired.

Arisa glanced up at him, unable to see his eyes due to the black visor-like glasses. His name was Jin Lee, and he was essentially her counterpart, responsible for the security of the South Korean president. "Looks good so far. Though I am surprised your president would take this risk, considering the warm welcome we got when we first arrived."

"I have to admit I'm not too crazy about it, either, but the president wanted to see to this personally," Jin replied nonchalantly. "He really believes in the possibility of this treaty. If the Bureau can negotiate bringing the two Koreas together in peace, or at least protect the country from attack, then it will be the greatest thing to happen to my people in a long time."

"I'm sure she'll do her best," Arisa answered noncommittally.

He nodded, then touched his ear piece, apparently listening in to his own reports.

Technically, the mission was the start of the world tour, where Lindy would visit as many nations as she could, meeting their leaders and peoples, and exposing the extra-terrestrials to the populace. The idea was to ease tensions, by showing the people of Earth that the Bureau was human and friendly, and not to be feared. In that light, Arisa, Suzuka's, and Adam's own personal testimonies would be required as well, since they were native Earthlings who had later joined the Bureau; the two former from Japan, and the latter from the US.

But this particular meeting with South Korea was to open negotiations between the two divided countries, and see if a reconciliation was possible. If so, it would go a long way towards showing Earth the good the Bureau could do. If not, there was the potential for the Bureau to install a self-defense shield around Seoul and several other cities closer to the demilitarized zone, which would protect it from shelling by the north. Such shells could carry biological warheads, and posed a constant risk. And of course, much more recently, it was thought that the North might have nuclear weapons now.

"[Captain, is there a problem with your communicator?]" Vice sent telepathically.

Arisa blinked and tapped her earpiece. "[Strange, no, I'm not getting anything through it. Maybe it broke. I'll grab another.]"

"[Um, you might want to check up on the admiral first,]" he replied, concern evident in his tone. "[It was subtle, but I detected a slight heading change from the president's plane. I'm not picking up any other craft or weather phenomenon up ahead that would warrant a course change, and it wasn't radioed to us, so I'm not sure what's going on. I'm sure the other escort jets will probably figure it out in 10-20 minutes or so, when we're far enough off course]."

An unpleasant feeling formed in Arisa's gut, but she didn't want to disturb Lindy's meeting just yet; dealing with security issues was her job. Checking the cockpit was the obvious first step.

Jin apparently seemed to sense her anxiety. "Is there a problem?"

"Is there a particular reason we changed course?" Arisa inquired, which caused Jin to put a finger to his earpiece and relay the question. She removed her own ear bud to examine it, but there didn't appear to be anything wrong, so she put it back.

Jin frowned, confirming Arisa's suspicions. "Strange, my communicator must be on the fritz. I can hear some of my agents, but no response from the cockpit. Let's go."

She immediately fell in behind him, while sending another telepathic message herself. "[Miyuki, something may be up; we're going to check the cockpit. It's probably nothing, but just in case...]"

"[Understood,]" came the reply in her head, making Arisa glad Miyuki had been issued a standard device that allowed reception and transmission of telepathic messages. Currently, the swordswoman was outside the meeting door, functioning as Lindy's personal bodyguard. Only Kyoya had gone back out undercover, leaving Miyuki to the sole task.

The pair of head security agents entered the electronics section, where personnel manned radar and other computer consoles, and then finally approached the closed cockpit door and the pair of agents on either side of it. Jin frowned when he attempted to open it, since the door obviously wouldn't budge and his code wasn't accepted.

He turned to the two guards. "Open this door immediately; we need to talk to the pilots and I'm not getting any response from the cockpit."

Arisa didn't need to turn around to know exactly what the clicking noises were from, but she did anyway upon the command to. Several of the Korean agents had left their seats and we're pointing weapons at Jin and her.

"What's the meaning of this, Ji-hun?" Jin demanded from one one of the agents pointing a handgun at them.

Arisa realized the two agents guarding the cockpit door, had also drawn weapons on them, leaving them surrounded on both sides. She knew her barrier jacket, in a modified form to reflect the formal black jacket, tie, and slacks of the other agents, would protect her from bullets. But she wasn't confident she could get up a barrier in time to protect Jin, and there could be other innocents on the plane in danger. Also, casting such a spell, might break their cover as non-magical extra-terrestrials.

"Let's just say that, while I agree with the unification of Korea, I don't believe the South should be the ones to do it," Ji-hun.

"[Admiral, Miyuki, we have a problem,]" Arisa sent urgently.

The sound of gunfire coming from above was her immediate response.

x~~*~~x

"[I see what you mean,]" Lindy replied back calmly at the broken door to the meeting room.

Miyuki stood with sword raised, blood trickling from the side of her head, as several security personnel poured in with raised guns. At her feet, lay two agents she had already taken out shortly after entering the room. By the considerable lack of blood and their slight breathing movements, Lindy could tell they were still alive, just unconscious.

"You might want to be careful with those firearms," Miyuki cautioned, her expression calm and neutral. "It only takes one bad shot to pierce a window and depressurize the plane. My sword, however, carries no such concerns."

"So we're in a bit of a standoff," Lindy noted, the picture of calm as she sipped her tea. "Perhaps you gentlemen would care to sit down and discuss the matter?"

South Korean president Lee Myung-bak glanced at her with his own hardened expression, and then returned his gaze to the gunmen. "Who is behind this? Where is Jin?"

"He's indisposed at the moment," one of them said, stepping forward and holstering his weapon. His and Miyuki's eyes met for a moment, as if he was daring her to strike, but she held her stance. "And this plane is now under the control of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

x~~*~~x

"Admiral, we have been monitoring the situation," Chrono transmitted, converting the signal into a telepathic wavelength. "On your command, we can teleport everyone out and aboard the _Ventek_."

"Negative for now," Lindy sent. "They seem to want us alive for now, and I am interested in seeing how this goes. You can always teleport us out later."

"Chrono, we have have a problem with that, anyway," Lucino reported from her forward position. "I can't seem to get a lock on anyone aboard the aircraft!"

"What?" Chrono nearly blurted, surprised. "That shouldn't be possible. How? Why?"

"Unknown, but there is definitely some magical interference taking place," Lucino clarified, her fingers rapidly typing away over the computer console. "I'm working to bypass it, but I'm not sure if I can."

"Well, then, I guess we'll have to figure this out on our own for the moment," Lindy stated, her tone still calm, and more curious than anything else.

"Bring down the plane."

x~~*~~x

"[I'm sorry, what did you say, Arisa?]" Chrono's voice in her head nearly sputtered, full of disbelief.

"[Have Vice target one or two of the engines,]" Arisa clarified, mentally calculating the best order to take down all the agents. "[The initial attack should throw them off guard, allowing Miyuki and I to take them down. If all else fails, that should bring the plane down low enough for us to bail out; Vice and Otto can pick us up.]"

"[I'm afraid we'll have to put that plan on hold for the moment, too,]" Lindy replied, an odd tone in her telepathic voice. "[We need to find out who these people are. If they have a device capable of jamming magical teleportation, then it has to be our mysterious opponent who has made a move, and they apparently have more capability than we assumed. We need to find out who they are, and what their motivations are. For now, we'll go along with them. We still have a few cards up our sleeve we can play.]"

Arisa grit her teeth; the admiral's response made some sense, although she didn't like it. As head of security, her instinct was to protect everyone first. But figuring out just who didn't want them here, and why, would be the more important concern.

Ji-hun gestured with his gun. "Enough. We have the plane. Tell the escorts to back off, as we will soon enter North Korean airspace. That goes for your Bureau craft as well."

"You cut off communication, so I can't," Arisa bluffed. It was true they cut off normal communications, although she could still talk telepathically; however, she didn't want to disclose that little detail. "But don't worry, your anti-aircraft defenses won't pose any threat to it, so he'll just tag along and watch."

The slight twitch of his eyebrow let her know that her little taunt had found a mark. "That's not what I said. I will undo the jamming for a minute, but my patience wears thin. Call it off, or your Bureau Admiral dies, as does everyone on this plane. And even if you don't believe I will kill your admiral, know that you will be responsible for the deaths of many others who don't really matter here."

A frightened gasp drew her attention to a doorway, where an agent held one of the cooks, a woman in her early 30's, from behind with a gun to her head. The look of terror on her face was palpable.

Arisa glared at Ji-hun, but remembered Lindy's words to go along with them, and reached up to activate her communicator.

x~~*~~x

"Understood, adjusting course," Vice replied to the order, then paused for a moment. "Good luck."

"You, too," came the response, and then some further instructions via telepathy.

He smiled at that; it was what he was planning to do, even if she hadn't told him. Then adjusted the control stick, sending Storm Raider peeling off into the sunset, the jumbo jet rapidly disappearing in his wake.

x~~*~~x

Miyuki glanced back at Lindy out of the corner of her eye, saw the admiral nod slightly, and dropped her sword.

The hijackers moved quickly to take her into custody.

x~~*~~x

"It's done," Arisa spat, removing her earpiece to hand it to one of the agents.

"Confirmed," one of the men at the radar station declared. "All escorts, including the Bureau craft, are moving away. Our own jets are five minutes out."

And then, like Jin, her hands were bound behind her back and her body was frisked. The normal handgun in her breast holster was taken, as was the knife attached to her ankle. Inwardly, she smiled, since those two items were mostly for show anyway; as long as they left her dog-tag device alone, she had Terra to help her process magic when needed. And her device had several combat forms to complement her martial arts training.

"Move," the agent behind her ordered, roughly shoving her in the back.

Arisa shot him a dark look, but acquiesced and followed Ji-Hun out of the electronics center. As they passed the spiral staircase leading up to the second floor, they paused long enough for a couple of agents to lead a bound Miyuki down.

"Keep them separated in the cargo hold until we land," Ji-Hun told them while beginning to climb the staircase. "I have some business with the alien representative and the president."

Arisa waited for him to disappear upstairs, before talking telepathically to Miyuki. "[Did they take your communicator?]"

Miyuki paused, and then nodded once.

Arisa grimaced; that made this a little more difficult. It was that communicator device that allowed Miyuki to send telepathic thoughts. The agents wouldn't be able to make it work, as it was keyed to her, but it was no surprise they took it. Arisa was just surprised they didn't attempt to take her dag tags, which was Terra in device mode, now hanging around her neck and under her shirt.

"[Are Lindy and the President okay?]"

Nod.

"[I've got an idea, but we need to find whatever is blocking the _Ventek_ from getting a teleportation lock on us. If you-]"

"In here!" the agent in charge barked, nudging Arisa's back hard with the butt of his rifle, almost shoving her through the shelves and large containers. "Take off their clothes."

Arisa spun on him, suddenly indignant. "What?"

The agent waved his gun at her threateningly. "You may be human, but given your level of technology, anything on you could be a weapon. We have our orders, and we don't need your compliance." He gestured towards one of the other agents, as if telling them they that if they didn't strip, one of the men would do it for them.

Arisa glanced at Miyuki, who nodded and stood, turning her back to the agents to showcase her bound wrists. "You can't get our clothes fully off with these handcuffs. If you undo them, I will go first."

"Any funny business, and we'll fill you and your friend full of holes," he reminded her. "We do have orders to avoid killing you if possible, but they aren't ironclad."

Once the handcuffs were removed, Miyuki rubbed her wrists, and then removed her black jacket, keeping her back to them. Arisa grimaced at what the other woman was forced to do, but carefully watched the five agents guarding them, noting that their eyes through their dark glasses were drawn to the stripping swordswoman. There was even a whistle once Miyuki unbuttoned and removed her blouse.

Arisa waited just a moment more while slowly bending her knees, for the weapons trained on her and Jin to lower slightly, and for Miyuki to reach up and begin pulling her sports bra up. With a sudden burst of speed, Arisa pushed off with her legs to slam her head into the stomach of the closest agent. Even as the others slowly began to react, Arisa became a whirlwind of motion, slamming a roundhouse kick into the next closest guard and sending him flying into two others. The last finally managed to turn and fire several shots in her direction, but Arisa was already diving behind a container for cover.

Miyuki sprung into action as well, kicking the gun up as she flowed forward, bringing her hands together and slamming both fists into his jaw in a move that snapped his head around. As he stumbled back in a daze, she chopped the gun out of his hand, but she was unable to follow up due to the other agents recovering, now bringing their own weapons to bare. Like Arisa, she leapt up and over several containers to hide from the gunfire. There wasn't much room to maneuver in here, which meant there was little chance of her being able to dodge the gunfire.

Meanwhile, Arisa had dragged herself to her feet, noting with some relief that Jin had taken the initiative to get out of the way himself. She didn't know where he had disappeared to, but she hoped he was smart enough to keep his head down. Concentrating her magic into her arms, she snapped the handcuffs and rubbed her wrists and then glanced at the wall of the plane behind her, nodding that her internal map of the aircraft was accurate. However, this next part wasn't going to be easy.

She attempted to rejoin the action, but as she peeked around the corner of a crate, she came face-to-face with one of the agents, who looked as surprised as she did. Arisa barely managed to step inside his guard the moment he depressed the trigger, spraying bullets past her instead of at her. She grabbed the lapels on his jacket and flipped him over her shoulder, but he grabbed her arm with his free hand and brought her down with him. For several moments, they both grappled and rolled on the floor. Her fingers clawed at his face, but strangely didn't feel skin; there was something else there instead. It surprised her, giving the man enough of a moment to kick her off.

Her back slammed into the wall of the aircraft, but she took a moment to glance down at what she was now grasping in her left hand; a strange cloth-like object. She didn't give it too much thought, however, as she noted the agent standing back and bringing his gun back to bear. She thought quickly as her hand came down on a lever embedded in the wall behind her, realizing what it was the moment the agent fired several shots.

She felt the impacts in her gut, but still managed to raise her head, grin, and push the lever down. The agent's eyes widened in realization, the moment the emergency exit door was blown outward with a loud roar, sucked out along with the air in the cargo hold.

Arisa could see the agent being drawn to the door by the air pressure change, as she herself went tumbling out of the plane.

x~~*~~x

The door swung open, admitting a smooth and composed male with what he probably hoped was a charming smile."I trust you are well? My name is Ji-hun, and I will be your host for the remainder of the trip."

Lindy eyed the clean-cut secret service man in a suit and dark glasses, and matched his disarming smile with one of her own. "I am fine, but the manners of your coworkers seem to be a bit lacking, young man."

He crossed one arm over his stomach to embellish a short bow. "My apologies, but circumstances put us in an uncomfortable position. We will attempt to make your stay as... rewarding as possible."

"Stay?" South Korean President Lee Myung-bak inquired, raising an eyebrow slightly. "You have taken my plane and my staff hostage. This goes far beyond a mere international incident; but now an interstellar one as well. Do not expect to get off lightly."

"We will be landing in North Korea in under 30 minutes," Ji-hun replied, taking one of the empty seats at the table opposite the two hostages. The rest were previously filled with staff from both the Bureau and the South Korean government, but they had been taken away and locked up below. "Where you will be treated quite well during the negotiations."

"You aim to bargain with South Korea for my release?" Lee questioned, his voice growing harder. "I doubt that will go as well as you think."

Lindy took a sip of her tea, then set it down and pursed her lips thoughtfully as she studied the lead hijacker. It was obvious he was attempting to immediately establish a story for them to believe. All reports indicated that North Korea simply did not have the capability to pull off something like this, and the teleport scrambler was further evidence of a larger power in play. Someone knew the Bureau had magic, and was capable of blocking it. However, this Ji-hun didn't seem like the kind of person to be high up on the knowledge pole; she'd need to play along with his story for now, until the real puppet masters revealed themselves.

"I didn't think the North Korean Generals would be so insistent upon my company," Lindy stated casually, letting him know that she was aware of just where the real power lay in his country.

Ji-hun grinned, showcasing pearly white teeth. "The admiral gets it. For years, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has been laughed at and mistreated by the world at large. But we will be the first to have your technology and emerge as the preeminent world power."

Lee finally chuckled. "I do not think it will be easy as you believe. Never mind that every other country will not take kindly to this, but do you really think you can best the advanced technology and capabilities of an alien civilization?"

If anything, Ji-hun's grin only grew. "Oh, I think you'll find that we know more about them than you think."

Lindy raised an eyebrow; perhaps this Ji-hun did know more than he was letting on. "If you say so," she offered simply.

Further conversation was put on hold by the sound of gunfire down below, and Lindy sighed; she instantly knew it had to be the result of one person. [I should have figured she'd be a bit impulsive.]

Ji-hun put a hand to his ear, apparently listening to a report, but the plane jerked to the side after a few moments and then began a rapid descent, throwing everyone off balance, shaking wildly. "What's going on?"

When the plane eventually leveled off and returned to normal, Lee retook his seat while eying Lindy calmly taking another sip from her teacup. "How did you...?"

She smiled happily at him and set her cup down, not having spilled a drop. "Yes?"

Ji-hun dusted himself off. "It didn't work."

Lindy turned to him, her face blank. "What didn't?"

"Your underlings attempt to retake the plane; they nearly killed us all!" he almost snarled at her, then lowered his hand from his ear and crossed his arms over his chest. Lindy didn't like the way he was maliciously grinning at her. "But I'm afraid I that it cost them their lives."

x~~*~~x

"How the hell did they get the plane?" Arf demanded to know, slamming her hand on the meeting table. "I thought such people would be heavily scanned and investigated before being allowed on a leader's jet!"

"We don't know," Adams confessed, his voice thick with barely contained anger himself. "The South Koreans aren't giving us straight answers, but I'll admit it seems they were as equally taken by surprise by this."

Arf grinned, showing teeth. "Just give the order, and I'll get them back."

The General shook his head. "Not yet. This is a diplomatic incident, and we can't just invade a sovereign nation. North Korea has issued an initial statement that the Admiral and the South Korean president have been invited as guests, and have given their assent. We know that's not the case based on what the _Ventek_ sent us, but we're keeping the secret of telepathy for the moment. And before communications were completely cutoff, the Admiral sent me a message, relayed from the Ventek. She wants us to sit tight and wait for her signal. If we attack now, we'll look like aggressors."

"Have we not heard anything from them?" Arf asked, worry creeping into her voice.

Chrono shook his head from the holoscreen. "Not since they landed. There is considerable jamming going on at the landing site."

"I find it more disturbing that they can jam magic like they did," Suzuka noted, deep in thought. "I still can't figure it out; it's not like an anti-magic field. It's just very strong interference." She shook her head. "It's a dangerous game she's playing, letting herself be used as bait."

"The admiral wanted to get caught?" Alto asked in disbelief.

"If we're right about there being someone or some group that wants us gone, then this is one of the more direct ways to discover that," Chrono admitted with a sigh, giving Suzuka a hint that he may have known in advance about this particular ploy. "And they'll want our people alive to use as bargaining chips, so I don't think they'll do anything. Still, it is a big risk."

"Still, I can't believe the other countries of Earth would simply believe the North Korean statement," Alto pondered aloud. "Based on what I've read, this North Korea has repeatedly blustered and lied."

"They don't, but I think that is the goal here," Suzuka stated, shaking her head. At Alto's confused look, she went on to elaborate. "Whoever wants us gone, is behind this. There is no way North Korean soldiers had the training or capability to pull this off. However, the other countries also know this, so they will be looking at us with suspicion."

"And that's why we have to be careful about how we act," Adams confirmed, and then let out a sigh. "Still, that doesn't mean we can't be ready. I want the shuttle prepped and ready to launch, with the Fenrir and Terra golems loaded. If it's needed, and when Admiral Harleown gives the signal, I want to be ready."

"Already done, sir," Alto confirmed with a shot nod.

"Then what's our next-" Arf started to say, but was interrupted by an aide entering the room, nervously handing a small envelope to General Adams, before excusing himself. "What's it say?"

Adams scanned the piece of paper within, his face going deathly serious. "The note is anonymous, and I doubt will be able to tie it back to anyone, but..."

"But what?" Suzuka prompted, her brow furrowing in concern at Adam's steely expression.

"It says if we attempt any action against North Korea, a nuclear weapon smuggled in Seoul will be detonated, wiping the city off the face of the Earth."

x~~*~~x

Author's notes:

Continuing my quest of utilizing underused secondary characters, this fic proudly brings you the first time someone has used Serena Earls in a fanfic! Yes, she is a Bureau PR person, and the only other time you saw her, she was covering the Nanoha/Signum fight in the StrikerS manga. I figured a Bureau expedition to Earth could make use of a PR department. Expect to see her pop up a bit more. :)

Today's golem entry:

Golem: Storm Raider

Pilot: Vice Gransenic

Based on: Veritech from Robotech/Macross

Capabilities: The second prototype golem to be put into use, it was an attempt to create a unit with superior aerial capabilities. As a result, it can transform from a bipedal humanoid mode, to a sleek aerofighter, with a hybrid in-between mode. Primary armament is the single gun attached to the underbelly of the fighter mode, and carried in-hand in the humanoid mode. It can alternate from shorter-range rapid-fire magical bullets, to a longer-range sniper beam. A half-dozen smaller weapons on the wings provide lesser magical beam weaponry. Magical stealth technology easily hides its presence from various sensing abilities and technologies, especially those of Earth. It was originally designed to use it's superior mobility to gain advantageous ground, and take out enemy targets from long-range.


	5. Enemy Hands

**Magical Lyrical G-Squad**

**Chapter 5: Enemy Hands**

Xx~~*~~xX

Wind howled past her ears, whipping her hair uncontrollably past her face, and her auto-barrier just barely protected her from the sudden and dramatic drop in temperature. At first, her plummet through Earth's lower atmosphere was quite uncontrolled, but she managed to at least even it out after a few moments.

Arisa didn't know exactly how fast she was falling, but based off what she had learned in school, it only took her about 15 seconds to hit the maximum velocity of about 55 meters a second. She had taken a breath shortly before being vacated from the plane and was now holding it; she also knew that trying to take a breath at this altitude and speed would be difficult, and thus focused on keeping conscious.

Another part of her mind reminded her that she had never been able to do any sort of magical flight, and also saw fit to inform her that her floater fields could have used more work.

[Well, as they say, it isn't the fall that kills you; it's the sudden stop at the end,] she reflected wryly.

And then she felt, more than heard, something in the sky with her. She instinctively angled her body as the large object came up underneath her, matching her velocity, and ultimately landing her square in the rear seat of Vice's Storm Raider golem in hybrid mode; a cross between fighter and golem modes that allowed greater agility in the air.

"You're crazy, you know that?" Vice grumbled at her once the canopy closed, but with a note of respect in his voice.

Arisa helped herself to a large serving of fresh oxygen, as her body began to relax. "That's why I told you to hang around in stealth mode." She paused. "You are in stealth mode, aren't you?"

"I don't think they detected me when I had the canopy open, but yes, we are invisible," he replied, shifting Storm Raider back into fighter mode and taking off for the jumbo jet once more. "You were lucky; after flying far enough off to get out of their radar range, I engaged stealth mode to get back here as soon as I could. Damn near gave me a heart attack when I realized that was you tumbling through the air."

Arisa smiled wryly, temporarily closing her eyes. "It wasn't my first choice, but I needed to get off the plane, and I had faith in you. I wouldn't have been able to do anything as a prisoner."

She finally glanced down at the fabric like object in her hand, becoming conscious of the fact that she was still holding onto it. She briefly wondered where it came from, and then realized it had come off when her hand had grappled with that one agent's face, shortly before she was sucked out of the plane. But that still left one question: What the hell was it? It looked like some kind of hair net, but big enough to fit over a head. However, she didn't remember seeing him wearing something like this.

She opened up a holoscreen. "Chrono, I have something here that I need analyzed. Can you teleport it up to the _Ventek_?"

"Right away, although you'll need Vice to drop back a bit from the plane so we can get a lock on it," came the response.

She held out her hand, watching the strange netted mask disappear in a flash of white light, then returned her attention to the issue at hand. "What's the status of the squad?"

"Otto's hanging out off the coast, and the other two golems are being attached to the shuttle for transport," he informed her, taking up a position to the rear of the plane again.

Arisa nodded, bringing up a map on her screen and tracing the route the South Korean President's plane was taking. Overlaying the known North Korean military locations, she felt she had a pretty good idea where the plane would eventually land. Thirty minutes later, her educated guess was vindicated as the plane touched down, but her overhead image of the area flickered wildly.

"Chrono, I'm getting some static in this area," she reported, her brows knit together in concentration as she attempted to clean up the image. "Can you provide more accurate assessment from orbit?"

"We've been trying," the Admiral admitted after a moment. "But the interference that prevented us from teleporting anyone out, has increased dramatically. We can't even get any communication through now, normal or telepathic."

Arisa blew out an annoyed breath. "Figures. I'll have Vice land just outside the range of the interference, and proceed in on foot to recon. We'll need the shuttle to launch and deliver my golem, as well as Arf and hers as well. After I get a more accurate lay of the land, we'll break in and free everyone."

"I'm afraid I'll have to countermand that plan, Captain," came General Adams voice on the channel.

"Why?" Arisa demanded to know. "They have our people AND the South Korean president! We can easily and swiftly move in and rescue them without any casualties!"

"We have a bigger problem, Arisa-chan," Suzuka warned, her voice deadly serious. "We received an anonymous note that if we attempt any kind of rescue, a nuclear weapon will be detonated in Seoul."

Arisa felt her mouth go dry. "They aren't supposed to have progressed that far on their program..."

And even as the words left her lips, she realized the problem; Adams stated it anyway. "I think we are now aware that the North Koreans, or someone helping them, have capabilities we didn't think they possessed. I'm afraid we have to treat this as real, which is why I am dispatching Suzuka and Arf to Seoul to work with the authorities there to find the weapon."

"The _Ventek_ can't find it?" Arisa wondered aloud.

"Concrete blocks any radiation output, so what better place to hide it then in jungle of concrete?" Chrono answered. "And there is similar magic jamming going on there as well. We're scanning the city, but it is difficult to sort out all the signal interference. Griffith is working with Lucino to narrow the focus."

Even Arisa could see the issue now; it didn't matter if the weapon were relatively weak, the damage would still be severe. Not only to buildings and to people in the immediate vicinity, but the fallout would cause widespread sickness, panic, and fear. The economic damage would be even greater still.

"Then, at least let me recon," Arisa requested, conceding defeat. "There is no harm in at least seeing what they are up to down there."

There was a bit of silence on the line, before Adams came back on. "Permission granted, but recon only. Do not take any overt actions; do I make myself clear?"

Arisa let out a long breath. "Understood."

x~~*~~x

Lindy's smile was warm and friendly as she accepted the cup of tea. "Oh, thank you!"

The young North Korean soldier that offered it to her, gave a short bow and walked away, giving no outward emotional signal. Lindy sniffed at the cup, and then waved her hand over the green liquid to cool it slightly.

As the door to the small room closed, she could see the hustle and bustle of activity in the large hanger beyond. She had already gathered that she had been taken inside some place huge judging by her other senses, even though they had blindfolded her when she was escorted off the plane to begin the interrogation. She wasn't quite sure where she was, but that brief glimpse clued her in enough to know she was still on the surface, or close to it. The magical jamming signal was even stronger here; she could practically feel it, and it nearly gave her goosebumps.

The perpetually grumpy-looking General Ri Yong-ho sitting opposite her at the table, folded his hands. "Now, shall we get started?"

"I think so..." she started to say, and then a notion hit her. "Wait!"

Her sudden surprised command caught him off guard. "What?"

"What about the milk and sugar?" she inquired hopefully.

"...what? In green tea? Why would you..."

"Why wouldn't you?" she replied back innocently. "I can't have a good conversation without properly prepared tea. Surely you understand that in your culture?"

"But we don't..." he started to say, and then caught himself, as if realizing what he was about to argue. "Forget it. Bring her some milk and sugar."

The same soldier promptly arrived a minute later bearing Lindy's desired items, for which she thanked him again. This time, the vaguest hints of a smile appeared on his lips.

"Now can we get started?" he asked in an irritated tone as she added her milk and sugar. "Our government demands that you immediately move your entire contingent to our sovereign soil and cease providing any assistance to other governments, especially South Korea. Doing so will constitute an act of war against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

"Hmm, I could use some chocolate, too," Lindy stated after taking a sip of her tea.

"...excuse me?"

Lindy blushed lightly. "Don't women of your planet like sweets, too? Especially chocolate. I could really use some chocolate squares."

General Yong-ho grumbled. "I don't think you understand your position here..."

"I understand you aren't being a very polite host," Lindy countered a bit petulantly. "I was given to understand that government officials on your planet made a great effort to host diplomats. You're not a very good negotiator, either. You're supposed to offer something in return. And really, are a few chocolate squares too much to ask?"

The general grit his teeth, somehow managing to contain his anger, and gestured a soldier over. "Very well. See if you can find some chocolate for the woman."

"Now, see, was that so hard?"

Ri slammed a folder of papers on the table. "Do not forget your place here! You've already lost a couple of your people."

"Yes, I know," Lindy stated while stirring her tea, enthusiasm draining out of her voice. "It's terrible!"

"Now, with that said, let us continue-"

Lindy coughed politely.

"What?

The jovial Admiral appeared confused. "Shouldn't we wait for the chocolate before continuing?"

This time, Ri couldn't hold back the growl.

x~~*~~x

The air was stifling hot inside her hiding place, and it didn't take more than a minute before it became hard to breathe and her vision started to swim. But once the door in the cargo hold was blown open, Miyuki saw her chance in the form of one of the cargo containers, calculating she had only moments before the change in pressure rendered her unconscious. It didn't take much to open it, although she had to do it while holding on to avoid being sucked out, like a few of the agents were. But by the time the emergency hatch was closed and the plane leveled out at a lower altitude to even out the pressure, Miyuki had safely tucked herself inside.

The real challenge, then was to meditate and lower her metabolism and oxygen intake while the pressure in the hold stabilized back to normal. The container held various fabrics, like blankets and sheets, useful for long trips when people on the plane would need to sleep or cover tables, so she was relatively certain they wouldn't need to be accessed by anyone on the plane at this time. She only needed to wait, and hope no one thought to check the unlatched container; she had to hope that guards would assume it had just come undone in the turmoil. She also knew she wouldn't have to wait long; based on where the plane was at her last check, they would be over North Korea by now, and thus close to landing somewhere.

But that still left her some time to think, and she found her thoughts drifting to Arisa; what had happened to her? Had she been sucked out of the plane? Was she recaptured? Did she manage to hide as well? She wasn't receiving any telepathic messages, but that could mean anything. One thing was for certain, though: if Arisa was out of action, then it was up to Miyuki to free Admiral Lindy and the South Korean hostages.

Her ears popping, followed by the rough shake, let her know that the plane was descending to land; but still, she waited. Long enough to ensure that the higher-ups had disembarked the plane, and that enough time had passed.

It was only then, that Miyuki popped the hatch of her container and got to work.

x~~*~~x

Although she was in a hurry, Suzuka maintained proper decorum and gave a short bow. "Thank you for allowing us to land."

South Korean Minister of National Defense, Kwan-jin Kim, offered a hasty bow in return, although it was more of a head nod; he was trying not to stare. "We had been in contact with your people since the kidnapping incident, but I must confess, I was surprised to hear your request to land so suddenly. And that we couldn't detect your shuttle on approach."

Both glanced sideways, as said shuttle was cooling off in the large hanger, the doors closing behind it. It had approached using stealth technology, rendering it invisible to both radar and the naked eye, so as to not tip off any observers that the Bureau was attempting to head to Seoul. Moving it into a hanger would keep it hidden from the prying eyes of any satellites.

"This way, we can talk inside," Kwan-jin stated as the entourage began moving towards a doorway. "Although you didn't mention what this visit was about."

Suzuka dug out a piece of paper and handed it to him. "I'll wait until we're inside for details, but here."

The Minister was a hard man to read, given his stony expression. But as he scanned the paper, his face hardened even more. "You believe this to be true?"

"I don't think we can afford not to," Suzuka replied as one of Kawn-jin's men held the door open. She entered, but paused as another made his discontent known.

"Um, is... that, coming inside, too?" another of Kawn-jin's men phrased delicately, indicating the big orange wolf.

Suzuka smiled. "Oh yes, she is very necessary. Think of her as a bomb-sniffing dog." Her smile grew more mirthful at the discomfort Kawn-jin's entourage clearly felt. "And don't worry, she's house-trained."

Arf let out an indignant snort.

x~~*~~x

"[I've received word that Suzuka and Arf had made contact with the South Korean government,]" came Vice's voice in her head from his position in a hidden Storm Raider, over a kilometer away.

"[Roger that,]" Arisa replied from her hiding place, having made the trek to as close a vantage point as possible.

She continued to scan the heavily fenced base in the distance, using her device as a form of binoculars. She had long since cataloged all the defenses and troop movements, and was now simply waiting, biding her time. In addition to mostly hidden anti-aircraft guns, there were several old tanks sitting just inside, and a large contingent of soldiers that routinely patrolled with dogs. Terra had long since identified the mines as well, which did make any approach on foot difficult, but wouldn't be a problem if she had her golem. However, that wasn't an option at the moment; it was still on the shuttle, which was now in a South Korean hanger.

"[General Adams wants me to remind you that you aren't supposed to take any action, other than recon,]" Vice told her, although his voice held a note of amusement.

"[Pzzzt, what was pzzzt that, I can't pppssht hear you,]" Arisa sent back.

She could hear the sigh in his voice. "[There's no static over a telepathic line, Captain, sorry!]"

Arisa smiled grimly, continuing to watch the activity in the base several hundred meters away. She had already located the grounded plane and several buildings, but there were several openings into the mountain side, and Arisa guessed that any hostages would have been taken there. The magical interference was higher now, preventing her from scanning inside the complex. She hoped Lucino was making progress on breaking through that, otherwise they'd be flying blind if she went in now.

"[What did he say on my idea?]" she asked, looking to pass the time more than anything else.

"[Putting up a dimensional barrier to block any signals?]" Vice clarified. "[Too risky at the moment. While it might prevent them from remote detonating the nuclear bomb from this location, we don't know if they have observers or alternate ways of detonation. They already have something they shouldn't, in the form of magical jamming. I agree with the General; until we know more, we can't underestimate our foe.]"

She figured as much, but she was coming up short on other ideas. Until the nuclear device was dealt with, she was stuck in a waiting game.

[Hurry it up, Suzuka!]

x~~*~~x

"We've given you access to all the shipping data in the past month as you requested," Defense Minister Kim stated from behind his laptop.

"Thank you, General Kim," Suzuka replied, glancing up from her own laptop and scanning the meeting room. Her eyes met Arf's in the corner, who nodded slightly, giving the signal that everything checked out so far.

Lucino had given the analysis on the item recovered by Arisa during the flight over. It was relatively easy to figure out; it was a type of crude device, a mask infused with transformation magic. Essentially, anyone could put it on and have the facial features of any other individual, which made two things now that existed on Earth that shouldn't be here. But it explained why and how the South Korean President's security detail had been infiltrated.

But, while they could be made to fool magical scanners (which was why Arisa's device didn't detect them), they wouldn't be able to fool Arf's nose. And right now, she had just given the signal that no one in the room was wearing one.

"Please, just call me Kwan," he stated absently with a small smile. "It'll make things shorter and easier. Has your ship managed to locate the nuclear device?"

His easy dismissal of protocol caught her a bit off guard, but she recovered easily enough. "Not yet. Given that concrete blocks radiation, we may as well be looking for a small needle in a 600 square kilometer haystack. Although we have managed to eliminate some sectors, mostly the outlying districts. We're hoping to see what items of a certain size came in to South Korea, and were trucked overland to Seoul. A physical search of those locations would be our best bet."

She didn't mention that the sole reason they had managed to narrow down the range, is because there were magical signal jammers in Seoul, too. It was hard to tell how many, or where they were, but there was a decent cloud of interference over the inner 300 square kilometers of the city. However, that was another reason Arf was present; her nose was 100 times more capable than a normal Earth dog's, and would be unaffected by the magical interference.

"I think we have the search teams set, and we're ready to move out," Kwan stated. "We'll try to keep things subtle, so as to not alarm the populace, and not alert the North Koreans that we're searching for their device." His head came up. "Your team is ready to move out, if you care to join them."

Suzuka double-checked the data on her laptop, which was really her device, Whiskers, in laptop form., and then nodded. "Will do. Have you instituted checks?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "I'm double and triple checking everyone on staff and who will be on the teams, for double-agents. As you stated, I am also having their heads checked for those masks you mentioned." He sighed. "While we are grateful for your assistance, we wish you'd tell us more about your plans for the rescue attempt."

"I'm sorry, but we can't do that," Suzuka stated regretfully, slowly shaking her head. "You'll just have to trust us. We can save everyone, but we need to find that bomb first." She closed her laptop and stood. "I have the data on the search assignments; I suggest we get to work."

Kawn looked at her for a moment, and then nodded. "I'll have my men escort you and your... animal to the city to begin the search. And may God be with us."

Suzuka couldn't help but agree.

x~~*~~x

General Yong-ho Ri angrily slammed his hands on the table. "Enough!

Lindy paused in her tea-sipping, and blinked at him with an expression of puzzlement. "Is there something wrong?"

"You continue to play these innocent games, even after hearing our demands and knowing your position," Yong-ho said, barely holding back a growl. "You give us your technology, and work with us, or you leave Earth. Defy us, and we'll kill the South Korean President, and detonate our warheads on Seoul."

"Keeping them alive, is all that is keeping you and your regime alive," Lindy responded cooly, letting him know that she was no fool. "Right now, the countries of Earth are betting this can be resolved diplomatically. Once you take military action, that aspect is off the table. Even you know that the US alone is capable of steamrolling your country. You'd lose everything."

He didn't seem too taken aback, and instead smiled slightly, which made Lindy wonder what was going through his head. "We may not be able to kill the South Korean president just yet, but..."

He gestured, and two guards brought the South Korean President's head of security, Jin, forward and forced him to his knees, placing the barrel of a rifle against his head.

"But there are still many more people we have, and their lives are your head," he threatened. "If we lose some of them, the world will not act, but will continue to try diplomacy. And in the end, if you give your technology to other countries, we will be left behind and find out country at an end, anyway, so we have nothing to lose. A snake in a corner has no choice but to strike."

The Bureau Admiral studied the General for a moment, as well as the silent Jin, and placed her teacup down gently. "Well, I am not too opposed to negotiation, but I would need to speak with the person in charge."

"Kim Jong Un is not available," Yong-ho stated flatly. "You deal with me."

Lindy half-smiled. "Not him. I meant the person who is truly in charge of your operation. This is an interesting show, but is ultimately pointless without the one pulling the strings here."

Stunned, the General stared at her. "I told you, I am in charge here!"

"Come now, General, we both know that isn't true," Lindy said, her eyes coming to rest on Jin. "It was the help of your overlords that enabled you to pull this off in the first place. And I doubt they'll tolerate you messing things up at this stage."

Yong-ho began to sputter, but quickly went silent when Jin stood up and began to change. Lindy instantly recognized transformation magic, but what bothered her more were the implications; given the identity this person had assumed, did that mean they had control of both North and South Korea? But one more surprise was in store: "he" was becoming a "she." Jin's change was completed quickly, now a beautiful woman with luxurious black and shiny hair, braided into a single pony tail that reached her waist. Even her outfit had shifted to a flowery silk kimono.

"Hae-soon..." Yong-ho breathed, obviously recognizing her, standing and backing away.

"You surprise me, Admiral Lindy Harleown of the Time Space Administration Bureau," the woman stated politely, ignoring the General and taking his empty seat. "But you are right, and perhaps it is time for direct negotiations."

Lindy raised an eyebrow.

x~~*~~x

Arisa bit her lip as she scanned the interior of the mountain base as best she could from her position. There had been no new change since, and none of the voices picked up through her device's sound amplification magic had given her any clue as to what was going on.

"[Any word from base yet?]" Arisa asked, impatience evident in her voice.

Vice must have picked up on it. "[None yet, but they'll deal with it. Waiting is always the hard part, I know. I've had to deal with it, in my line of work as a sniper.]"

"[I suppose you have, but I've never been very good at it,]" she confessed, then smiled fondly at remembering a memory. "[Did I tell you about the time Nanoha wouldn't tell me something, and I got all upset? I hate not knowing, and not being able to do something. Suzuka had considerably more patience.]"

She could almost detect the shrug in his voice. "[Most people are like that. But all we can do now is trust in our friends and comrades. Speaking of which, Otto is progressing overland on foot, and should be here in 30 minutes or so.]"

Arisa had no immediately reply, but it was good to know. Instead of having Otto waiting just off shore, Arisa had requested, and was granted, that Otto have the Ventek teleport her and her golem closer in shore. She was now making her way towards Vice's location, taking care not to be spotted. Having the cyborg and her golem that much closer, would mean less of a time lag when the command to start the rescue came down.

"[Do you-]"

But Arisa cut him off when her eyes were suddenly drawn to something. "[Hold on, I think... Miyuki!]"

She focused in her binoculars on the side of one of the buildings, currently cast in shadow. And on closer inspection, she could definitely make out the form of the swordswoman, still clad in slacks and sports bra, carefully sneaking through the shadows. From her position, it looked like she had come from the plane, and was taking a long way around the base, heading for one of the entrances into the mountain.

"[Is she alright?]" Vice questioned.

"[I think so, but I don't know how long she'll remain undetected,]" Arisa sent back, biting her lip.

She felt her insides do somersaults as Miyuki suddenly sprinted across the yard, expertly and nimbly avoiding the search lights and patrols, before finally leaping behind a stack of crates at the other end. It was only then that Arisa let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. However, her breathing was promptly put on hold again when a guard came around the corner of the large warehouse building Miyuki had just been in the shadow of. And he seemed to have some sort of dog on a leash, letting it lead as it sniffed along the way. There was no doubt in Arisa's mind now, that Miyuki would eventually be discovered.

Vice must have caught the mental breath. "[Everything okay?]"

"[No, I think Miyuki will be discovered soon,]" Arisa reported, and then made a decision. "[I'm going in. She'll need backup, and she needs to know about the nuclear bombs in Seoul.]"

"[General Adams said to recon only,]" Vice cautioned.

Arisa half-smiled, even though she knew he wouldn't see it. "[I am doing recon; I'll be finding out where inside Lindy and the other hostages are, for when we attack.]"

"[We can barely communicate now,]" Vice reminded her. "[If you go in, we'll lose contact totally. If I have any updates from Adams or Chrono, I won't be able to let you know. And if you're discovered, they may interpret that as a rescue and-]"

She shifted her barrier jacket into a fully black outfit that covered her from neck to toe in order to better blend in with the darkness. "[It's possible, but I doubt it. The message was delivered to our embassy, remember? They have no way of knowing that I would know. I'll just tell them I had a parachute. And from here on, it should be fairly obvious. Once Suzuka deals with those bombs, you and Otto will come in, guns blazing.]"

"[Arisa...]" he cautioned, using her name instead of rank, indicating his concern.

Arisa identified her path through the minefield, having Terra highlight the mines; it was the least-watched path, as she guessed the base commander figured no one would be stupid enough to go through it. "[I know, and thanks, Vice, in advance.]"

That seemed to catch him a bit off guard. "[In advance?]"

"[For when you rescue me,]" she replied with humor in her tone, and then sent one final message before the interference severed their link. "[I'm going in.]"

And then she was past the limit, and thus got no response; she was on her own.

x~~*~~x

She didn't quite know where she was going, but Miyuki guessed she needed to head down more levels. Or at least find some sort of control room or terminal to get a map of the place. It was a bit more dangerous to sneak around in an enclosed space, but she had no choice; there was no sign of Lindy or the other hostages in any of the buildings outside. That only left the complex in the mountain itself.

She paused before a corner, listening for the sound of footsteps, but detected something a little better instead: the sound of shower water running. That meant a locker room nearby, and thus lockers... which would contain uniforms. Up until this point, she was loathe to knock out a guard and take his uniform, since bodies were discovered eventually, or at least an alarm was raised when someone failed to report in.

But this could net her a disguise without a fuss. And there was an old tactic about infiltration; as long as you dressed the part and looked liked you belonged some place, and walked confidently enough, most people assumed you really did belong there.

She crept around the corner and followed her ears, finding the locker room easily enough. The initial part of the complex must have housed some barracks, but it also must have been between shifts, for there to be so little activity. She counted herself lucky and slipped in, staying out of sight of the lone soldier taking a shower on the side. Patiently, she hid behind the rows of lockers and waited until he finished and got dressed to leave, before slipping a pick out of her shoe and using it attack a lock.

And that's when her luck hit a snag.

"Hold it right there, missy," came a male voice.

x~~*~~x

Surprisingly, it didn't take as long as they feared. Not only did Lucino manage to make some progress cutting through the interference for some scans, but Kwan was able to distribute a number of Geiger counters to his teams. And while there was a lot of data regarding shipping imports, the _Ventek's_ computers were able to crunch through the information rapidly enough to narrow down likely locations.

Suzuka stepped off the helicopter and joined the small group at the construction site, approaching the security agent who appeared to be in charge. "Your group found it?"

He nodded and began to lead her into the half finished office complex. "It was well hidden in a large industrial-size furnace that was being installed into the base of the building. The insulation also functioned as shielding for the device, but we were able to detect trace amounts of leaking radiation when we got close enough."

Suzuka glanced down at the counter in the man's hand as they descended the staircase into the basement. It had been relatively benign up until this point, but as they approached the large, canister-like unit surrounded by several more agents, the needle began to waver and the rate of clicks increased. Suzuka brought out her device, now in tablet mode, and hit a few buttons, scanning the interior.

"We haven't even attempted to open it up yet, given that it could be booby-trapped, but we have a bomb-squad en-route," he stated, glancing curiously at the holographic screens popping up above and around her. "Impressive; can you see inside using... that?"

She half-smiled, opening some internal schematics. "Yes, now that I'm close enough. And it's a good thing you didn't open it up; the device is hard-wired into the furnace here, here, and here." She pointed out the locations. "I think I can cut this open enough to get at it without triggering anything. Stand back."

He nodded, gesturing to his men who also gave her some room, while Suzuka formed her right wrist blaster and had Whiskers alter the magic wave into a carving beam. For once, she was glad her magic level wasn't that high, in that she could only focus magic into a beam with the assistance of her wrist units. Displaying magic in front of Earth's populace was technically forbidden, unless it could be made to look like the effect of advanced technology, and Suzuka needed that advanced technology to make use of hers. This would look very similar to a laser cutting a hole to the men around her.

Adjusting the variables, she carefully shot a beam of magical energy into the furnace, slicing through the steel covering and internal layers easily enough, carving out a hole large enough for a human to crawl into. She was leery about doing anything bigger, just in case she missed something. When it was over, she climbed into the newly-created opening, and brought her cat goggles out to see in the darkness.

"I see it," she called back.

"Can you disarm it?" the lead agent inquired hopefully. "Or do we need to transport it out?"

"Hold on," she replied, crawling around the small space inside to get a look at the front of the device. "I just need to-"

Her insides suddenly ran cold; there was a timer on the front of the device, and it was counting down.

00:05...

00:04...

00:03...

x~~*~~x

Author's notes:

Not too much to say this time, other than I'm finding it fun to weave the Bureau into the tapestry of Earth. In case you hadn't guessed, this takes place in the recent past, as you can tell by the name drops (if you follow current world events regularly). Also, if you are familiar with Babylon 5, you probably noticed that I basically borrowed chameleon nets from that show, and used them here, but with transformation magic instead. I know, I know, if you are familiar with my fics, I tend to borrow Stargate ideas, but I liked Babylon 5, too.^^

Golem: Fenrir

Pilot: Arf

Based on: ZGMF-X88S Gaia Gundam (orange and black colors, similar to Andrew Waltfeld's)

Capabilities: Produced to excel on land battles, Fenrir is designed to mimic Arf's natural familiar abilities, and thus can transform from a standard bipedal form to a lupine mode. The latter enhanced agility and a lower profile, thus harder to target. Also, the four-legged mode supports a more stable firing platform, enabling stronger magic shots. Lastly, the claws and teeth allow the golem to deal damage while draining minimal power from the battery. The main weaponry consists of twin cannons, which attached themselves underneath the forearms in two-legged mode, but swivel up top in four-legged mode.


	6. Pulling Strings

**Magical Lyrical G-Squad**

**Chapter 6: Pulling Strings**

Xx~~*~~xX

Suzuka threw up all magic she had into a barrier enclosing the bomb and squinted her eyes shut, the latter more of a reflex action than with any knowledge that it would help. Inwardly, she knew there was no way she could contain such a blast, but maybe she could contain some of the damage. In the two seconds remaining to her, she made her peace, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

[That's odd...] she pondered, cautiously cracking her right eye open. [Shouldn't I be dead now?]

She cracked an eye open just to confirm that, yes, the timer on the bomb now read 4:52. In the next second, it decreased to 4:51. And just to make sure she wasn't crazy, she had her device play back the last few moments on a holoscreen, watching in disbelief as the timer really did hit 00:01, and then reset to 5:00.

[What the...?] She dissolved the barrier and then began to run a few scans. [Maybe...]

"Is something wrong?' the South Korean security agent standing just outside the container asked.

Suzuka inwardly cursed, because from their respective positions, he might have seen the purple barrier she cast. "No just getting a read on it. Give me a few moments."

And it took even less than that for her to figure out what was going on. [This is bad... ingenious setup. Arisa's plan would never have worked.] She tapped her communicator, which would broadcast to both the _Ventek_ and to Arf, currently situated with another group. "We have a problem."

Almost immediately, she got a response from Chrono. "What is it? We just heard from the group Arf is with. They have a problem, too."

The unsettling feeling of dread in the pit of Suzuka's stomach grew; Chrono didn't have to say it, because she just knew what he was going to say.

He did anyway. "There is a second bomb."

x~~*~~x

Arf gazed evenly at the device, barely visible through a crack in a large concrete block, highly concerned as it ticked down towards the 2 minute mark. "[There's not much time left on this one. Are you sure it will reset? Can we disarm it?]"

"[They are impossible to disarm without triggering them!]" Suzuka replied urgently, her words on the comm link being converted to telepathic messages in Arf's head. "[Any internal tinkering will set them off automatically, and we can't remove them for transport, either, as any attempt to do so will set them off as well. There are also protection spells on it, that I am guessing will also trigger it if I attempt to use magic to disarm it. But that's not the worst part.]"

"[That's NOT the worst part?!]" Arf questioned in disbelief, watching the South Korean agents cordon off the area. They had received instructions not to tamper with the bomb, as they were waiting for Suzuka's analysis, and their own bomb defusing squad to arrive.

"[I double-checked to be sure, but once they reach 1 second left, the device receives a signal that resets it to 5 minutes,]" Suzuka explained. "[I haven't been able to figure out the frequency yet, but it's at least partly magical in nature. However, that means our assumption that they would send a signal to detonate the devices was incorrect. It's just the opposite: they are sending a signal to _prevent_ them from detonating.]"

"[However, since they are getting a signal through their own jamming, there must be a path in the jamming field that allows their particular encryption to get through,]" Lucino interjected, bringing new hope to the conversation.. "[If I can find it, we might be able to duplicate it to keep them from blowing up, and then safely move the entire units far enough out of the interference to have the _Ventek_ teleport them into space.]"

"[I'm not sure that will work,]" General Adams almost immediately added. "[The data we're receiving shows that the bombs have different countdowns. When one reaches 1 second left, the other has 2 minutes and 30 seconds left. And we have to assume we're being watched; if we start to move even one of them onto a truck, they could send a different signal to detonate them. And there is no way we can get both far enough out of the city in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. We also have no reason to believe how long they'll continue to send the reset signal, so we don't know how much time we have. I really don't see any other option here.]"

Arf narrowed her eyes, worriedly watching as the timer clicked to 1:25, growing more restless and annoyed. "[Man, Can't we just smash them or something?! One spell, and I can blow this one up...]"

"[No, the spells protecting the devices will cause it to explode the instant we do anything magical to them!]" Suzuka cautioned urgently, and then exhaled a long breath in frustration. "[They really thought of everything.]"

A random thought hit the guardian beast. "[Well, if we can't use trucks 'cuz they're too slow, then we'll simply use something else!]"

"[Arf, you have another idea?]" Chrono asked. "[We're open to suggestions.]"

The big, orange wolf gave a toothy grin. "[As a matter of fact, I do.]"

x~~*~~x

Miyuki cursed, not having heard him come in. Normally, her fairly keen hearing could pick up even the softest footsteps, thus making sure that no one could sneak up on her; how had this normal soldier done it? Carefully and slowly from her crouched position, while making sure her hand was hidden from his view by her leg, she began to reach for the small knife hidden in her boot.

"What are you doing here?" the soldier asked in perfect Korean, but there was something odd about his voice; he didn't sound too threatening.

"I was just getting changed-" she began to reply in the same language as best as she could. Her Korean wasn't too bad, but she wondered if it would pass muster, or if her bluff would even work.

"You don't look to be a North Korean soldier," he stated, and Miyuki might have been mistaken, but... was that a hint of amusement in his voice? "Stand up and turn around."

Obediently, she did so, taking care to keep her arm between the small knife and his vision. But as she turned and caught site of the rifle, she realized she'd have just one chance, regardless of the risk. If she got caught now, any chance of saving the hostages was gone; she couldn't be sure of what the Bureau was doing, or if Arisa was okay. She quickly calculated the angle from one of the ceiling lights, and then twisted her wrist to catch it with the flat of the knife blade, redirecting it to the man's eyes. It was a little difficult, due to the way his military cap was pulled down, casting a shadow over the upper half of his face, but this was a trick Miyuki had long practiced in her sword style.

As she expected, he shied his face away and move to shield his eyes, and in that instant she sprung, knocking the gun aside and aiming to grab his head. A simple headlock, while keeping pressure on his throat, would be enough to take him out of commission.

But he almost disappeared, dropping below her attempted grapple and rolling underneath her in a bit of a judo throw that tossed her off balance. And before she could recover, something smaller than a human slammed into her side. It couldn't have been him – the angle was wrong – but Miyuki had no time to think about it, as he was quickly on her again, grappling for her wrists.

"Stop struggling!" he ordered, but Miyuki was having none of it.

She fell backwards, pulling him with her while planting a heel in his stomach and tossing him halfway across the room. She quickly completed the backflip and leapt at him, almost completing the planned headlock, but she was interrupted. Her body sensed the danger and froze, fingers at his throat.

That's when she realized her knife was now in his hands, and against her own neck.

Miyuki was befuddled. [When did he...?] He was much better than what she would have figured for a typical North Korean soldier.

"Will you calm down now?" he inquired politely, not a trace of hostility in his voice. "I _do_ find this little workout enjoyable, but I think it would be in your interest to talk first. Afterward, if you still feeling like continuing our little tussle, I might be inclined to oblige you."

Miyuki stared at him.

x~~*~~x

"Vice, Otto, did you get all that?" Chrono inquired over the communications channel.

Vice glanced across the way at Otto, both golem pilots sitting atop the shoulders of their respective magical mecha. The latter had arrived not too long ago, managing to traverse the countryside without being spotted, and was now standing by while awaiting the order to go in for the rescue.

"Roger," he replied when Otto gave her own assent, and the two promptly slid into their cockpits. He flicked switches to close the hatch while setting into the pilot's chair. "But you're really going to cut it close here. You're hoping Arf can use her golem to grab both containers, with the bombs inside, and carry them out of the city's jamming field in 2 minutes so you can teleport them into space."

"Once we flood the area with our own signal jamming barrier to prevent them from remotely detonating the bombs in that period, yes," Chrono added. "And once we confirm the safe disposal of the devices, you, Otto, and Arisa can start the rescue. It's risky, but I don't see another option here."

"If we were to attack, they might very well kill the hostages," Otto pointed out.

"You and Captain Bannings will go in on foot to ensure their safety," Adams instructed, his deeper voice rumbling across the channel. "Once they have the hostages secured, Sergeant Gransenic can eliminate the outside threats, enabling them to board the president's plane and take off."

"But I won't know when they've secured the hostages," Vice pointed out, frowning.

"Lucino here," came the voice of Chrono's navigation and computer officer. "The type of interference there and in Seoul are the same, and they are using a specific signal to cut through it. I'm close to discovering it, so that is what we will use. The enemy, being on the same frequency, will probably overhear, but they won't realize what it means until it's too late."

"Sounds like a plan!" Vice agreed, nodding, and then realized what that niggling feeling in the back of his mind was trying to tell him. "Um, we may have one small issue..."

"What is it, Vice?" Chrono asked.

"Captain Bannings is currently, uh, out of communication range," Vice reported, trying to phrase it delicately.

"Where in blazes is she?!" Adams demanded to know, then cut off any response before it could be uttered. "Wait, don't tell me, she went in already? Of all the dumb, idiotic moves, not to mention blatant disregard of orders-"

Chrono cut in. "Dumb it may be, General but we don't have time to worry about it. Otto will have to try and make contact with Arisa on her own."

Vice flicked a few switches, beginning to bring Storm Raider into ready status. "You can count on us, sir!"

However, General Adams wasn't done. "And Otto, you can inform Captain Bannings that when she gets back, she can look forward to latrine duty for a few weeks."

"Understood, sir," Otto replied back her normal flat voice. "Shall I inform her before or after we save the hostages, sir?"

Vice blinked; did Otto just make a joke?

x~~*~~x

Lindy had to admit, this Hae-soon wasn't quite what she expected for their secret enemy. She seemed almost... pleasant. And the way Yong-ho and the other soldiers fearfully deferred to the woman, partially unnerved Lindy. It didn't feel like they were treating her as a superior in a normal command structure, or even a political leader. If she had to guess, it was almost like they were treating Hae-soon like some sort of goddess.

"My apologies for the treatment," she offered graciously, and then reached out to whack Yong-ho on the head. Without a missing a beat, though, she began to pour her own cup of tea into the exquisite fine china cup that suddenly materialized in front of her. "It can be so hard to find good help sometimes. But I'm sure, as someone in command yourself, that you've experienced your own subordinates acting rather rashly at times."

"I have run into it, once or twice," Lindy admitted, sipping her tea while recalling the time Yuuno teleported Nanoha off the _Arthra_ to save Fate in the Jewel Seed incident. And then, of course, what Arisa must be up to now; they'd had a few words several days ago, when Arisa had expressed her apprehension about being left in the dark regarding Lindy's hiring of Kyoya and Miyuki.

Hae-soon smiled delightfully and clapped her hands together. "I was right; I thought we'd have much in common. I knew you'd be a lover of tea as well!"

"Then you should have contacted me sooner and more directly," Lindy lightly chastised her host, although her lips had turned upwards into a polite smile. "And you should really try some milk and sugar in your tea; it's simply delightful!"

Lindy caught Hae-soon's very brief look of hesitation as she eyed the Admiral's own special concoction. "Regretfully, I'll have to pass on that, but I do want to apologize for the indirect act. Circumstances required a bit of subterfuge, you understand."

Lindy appeared innocently bewildered. "No, I'm afraid I don't."

Hae-soon paused to sip some of her tea, and then place it back down in it's small platter. When she looked back up, the friendliness and amusement was gone from her eyes. "Well then, allow me to get to the point: we would tell you to take your Bureau and leave the planet; withdraw your treaty offers with the countries of Earth."

And there it was, Lindy realized. She had been expecting it to get to this point. "I'm afraid I cannot do that, unless you can somehow speak for the entire planet. However, I do not believe you do, given the many divisions between Earth's nations."

The would-be goddess half-smiled. "I did not expect you to agree to those demands immediately, but do not think us so inflexible We are prepared to let you return occasionally, in secret, to combat dangerous lost logia, such as you did with the Book of Darkness and the Jewel Seeds. And you may continue to secretly recruit those with special abilities, if you so desire." Her eyes turned piercing. "But you will leave Earth and her countries to us, and have no further official contact."

Lindy was finding the mysterious woman very hard to read; there was obviously much being left unsaid, and thus she couldn't quite figure out Hae-soon's angle in all this. Lindy decided to push the point. "And if we refuse?"

"Oh please, let's not be so cliché," Hae-soon implored halfheartedly while rolling her eyes. "You're smart enough to figure it out. But if you need me to state it..." She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table, her expression of a mix of devilish delight. "We'll completely eradicate your little diplomatic expedition, even if we have to wipe Japan off the map."

x~~*~~x

Arisa peeked out from the crack in the doorway of the cleaning closet, the only sound consisting of her heartbeat. She exhaled lightly in relief, as the footsteps had finally faded, but that was too close. She almost didn't duck into this side closet in time.

However, stepping back out into the hallway, she realized that she didn't have quite the clue of where she was going yet. She was tempted to grab a solider and squeeze info out of him, but doing so would only alert them to her presence; she needed to find the Admiral and the other hostages first. But how?

She crept up to a corner, and heard some voices farther down around the bend. Curiosity piqued, she listened in.

"More?" an exasperated male voice could be heard saying.

"Yes, more tea," another, younger, male voice replied. "And more chocolate as well."

[Couldn't be...] Arisa told herself, biting her lip.

"Why does the General let her get away with this?" the older voice wondered aloud.

"The hostage?" the younger questioned. "Or that other woman?"

"Both," came the answer. "Bah, it's not for us to question. Here you go. I'll prepare more for when you get back."

"Thanks," the younger offered. "See you later!"

A slow smile spread across Arisa's face. [I wonder...]

That's when a hand slapped itself over her mouth from behind, preventing her from making a sound, while a strong arm encircled her waist and pinned her own arms to her side.

x~~*~~x

Arf knew what she must look like to the civilians below, as they beheld a mechanical lupine beast hopping from rooftop to rooftop. The police had done a fair job of clearing the streets, but occasionally she needed to take her golem, Fenrir, to a higher level to bypass a traffic jam. Working the foot levers, she increased her speed, shifting to humanoid mode as she landed in the construction site, glad that she had just barely made the time limit.

It had taken almost twenty minutes to unite with her golem, despite having it sent on auto-pilot to her location. At any time during that, the bombs could have gone off, but so far Suzuka had reported that both were continuing to reset themselves.

"Ready for the first one!" she announced over the channel.

"Remember, once we start our own jamming, we'll lose the ability to communicate," Chrono reminded her. "We'll have to block every form of communication to make sure they can't remotely trigger the devices."

"Course laid in, I'm ready," she replied back, bringing up a map and a pair of countdowns on some secondary screens.

Suzuka's voice's sounded through her cockpit next. "This one is going to reset 3... 2... 1... Go!"

Arf wasted no time and thrust Fenrir's clawed hand into the concrete block that held the bomb her own group had found earlier. Almost half her golem's size, she poured her own magic into enhancing her golem's strength, lifting it easily. She took a step back to regain equilibrium, and bent her knees and leapt to a rooftop with the assistance of her thrusters, damaging the top of the building a bit with her landing, before taking another leap.

She was against the clock now; with the Ventek's jamming in full effect, there was no chance they could be remotely detonated. However, she only had a little over 2 minutes to get the second bomb and then take both outside the city for teleportation. While her golem could fly, it wasn't well-suited for it and her cargo increased her weight greatly, reducing her to a mostly ground-based trek.

She spared a glance at the secondary monitors, making sure she was still following the right route, taking a chance to fire her thrusters again to speed along a mostly empty street. The red digital numbers on her screen continued their lethal countdown. [Come on, come on, come on!]

With a thud, she landed in the second construction site, feeling some elation that she had shaved two seconds off the estimated trip time. Suzuka had already opened a large hole to the building's basement, allowing Arf to simply reach down and grab the large, cylindrical furnace and tuck it under her Fenrir's left arm. Apparently, Suzuka had also shaved off some of the excess material, making it a bit lighter and easier to carry, for which Arf was grateful. As she took off, she also happened to notice Suzuka jumping up and down and waving her arms from one of her holographic screens, but was unsure what it meant. Which all communications jammed, even telepathy, there was no way to know, and she was on the clock. But as she landed on the street and took off on her run, Fenrir notified her what the problem was:

Both digital clock timers now read the same; 48 seconds.

Arf's eyes widened. [No way! I should have at least a minute and a half left!]

Was that what Suzuka was trying to tell her? Arf had no idea what had changed, other than perhaps there was some built-in safety to detect when they were being moved and shorten the timers automatically. But the estimations before left her with 20 seconds upon reaching the teleportation site; she'd never make it there now!

[Think, Arf!] she ordered herself while pushing her joysticks forward and thumbing the booster jets mounted along her golem's lower back, sending Fenrir into a kind of leaping gallop. [There has to be a way!] She glanced at the map, following the red line that was her pre-programmed route, looking for any other option.

And then her eyes trailed over a particular portion of the map, and it hit her. "That's it!"

She yanked the control sticks hard and went off her route, leaping over cars jammed up in the side street, heading for a different part of town. Fenrir confirmed she might just have enough time, and was already making the calculations for the planned spell.

As the timers hit 20 seconds, she arrived at her target: Mount Namsan in the middle of Seoul, which was also home to Namsan tower. Together, the hill and tower made it was the highest point above sea level, and Arf wasted no time in leaping for the top while her two main cannons swung into position along her golem's hips.

Pouring half of her remaining battery power into her thrusters, she rebounded off the top of the tower and soared into the sky. As she reached the apex of her leap, she placed the containers against her gun barrels and thumbed the trigger, emptying most of the rest the magic in her golem's battery into her prepared shots. Her normal attack spells were electricity-based, due to her training and position as Fate's familiar early on. But Fenrir had converted the magic to pure push-beam power, and thethe furnace and concrete block rode the twin beams high up into the sky... and above the jamming field. As her golem began its fall, Arf prayed that Lucino was paying attention and could teleport them in time.

And that's when the sky was set on fire.

x~~*~~x

The guards didn't stand much of a chance. With long-practiced ease and incredible agility, Miyuki flew between the North Korean soldiers and took them out almost before they could move. To her eyes, they may as well have been made of molasses, moving in slow motion while reaching for their guns. It was almost anti-climatic, and in a few moments, the area was clear and she was unlocking the cell doors.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked the slowly rousing hostages, who were just beginning to process what happened.

"We're fine," one of the men informed her, getting over his surprise. Miyuki thought he looked like one of the pilots of the South Korean president's plane. "You came to save us?"

"Well, me and-" Miyuki started to say, then glanced around and noticed her mystery man had disappeared. He was the one who had brought her here; where did he go? Miyuki shook her head. "Well, just me for now. Where's Admiral Harlaown and the South Korean president?"

"They took both of them away awhile ago," the same man answered.

Miyuki bit her lip and briefly considered the situation. [Lindy is a fairly powerful mage; she should be able to take care of herself until I can find her. And odds are they took they South Korean president to the same place, so she should be able to protect him. I should get these people to safety first.]

So decided, she handed guns to those that could use them and took point, still wondering where that strange soldier had gone; had he betrayed her? Why? He was the one who had led her here to where the hostages were held. He had been secretive about his true intentions, merely saying that assisting her would help with his own mission. If he had planned to betray her, anytime before now would have done it.

Miyuki forced it from her mind for the moment, concentrating on getting the hostages out of here, but she was immediately distracted by burn marks scorching a circle on the wall. She readied her knife as the oval-shaped section toppled to the ground, and then lowered the weapon in relief as Otto stepped through.

"Am I glad to see you!" Miyuki stated. "How did you find us?"

The cyborg displayed her dog tag device, Andro. "I hacked into a computer terminal and downloaded the map schematics. I'll take rear and help you escort them out; Sergeant Major Granscenic will provide the necessary distraction."

"We're still missing the Admiral and the South Korean president," Miyuki informed her.

"Arisa will see to them," Otto answered furtively.

Miyuki felt relief, as it meant Arisa was okay, but then quickly took up point and began to lead the hostages out.

x~~*~~x

"Go!" came Otto's single word over the channel, and with that, Vice's tense waiting period was over.

Rising from the tree line on foot-mounted magical jets, he let loose half-a-dozen emerald beams that tore up previously selected targets; a mix of gun emplacements, tanks, and communication antennae. Landing on the other side of the chain-link fence, Storm Raider identified a new round of targets and locked onto them, and Vice quickly destroyed them in rapid succession. His priorities were the hanger entrances, containing both vehicles and aircraft that would quickly be mobilized against him, but a number of tanks and armored attack trucks remained, and were slowly coming to life and swinging their weaponry in his direction.

He sent Storm Raider into a rapid sideways lurch, taking cover behind a building as gunfire began to seek him out, pockmarking the asphalt that he had been occupying a split second ago, with blossoming smoke. Rather than emerge from the either side, he hit his foot pedals and rose above the hanger building on twin green jets, letting loose another volley of shots. Apparently, at least a few of the defenders had anticipated his maneuver, as bullets from light cannons pinged off his shielded armor.

His barrier, which mostly consisted of layer just barely above the golem's skin, could easily absorb more powerful impacts, but each shot would drain his already half-empty battery. Thus, avoidance was key to his longevity.

He only hoped he could last long enough until Otto returned with the hostages.

x~~*~~x

Lindy's smile had long since disappeared, and she eyed the other woman, now calmly sipping tea as if nothing had happened. The Admiral looked for any sign the woman was bluffing, but if she was, Hae-soon gave no visible sign.

"You'd destroy an entire country just to get at us?" Lindy questioned, raising an eyebrow. She studied the other woman intently, eyes meeting, trying to analyze the opaque motives therein. "Why? Are you so afraid of us? What do you intend for this planet?"

Hae-soon didn't answer right away, but just continued with her slightly-amused mysterious expression. In the silence of the pseudo-staring contest, a knock sounded from the door and a single soldier was admitted. Lindy almost wasn't cognizant of the tray of tea and sweets that was placed on the table, but something in the back of her mind niggled at her.

"Let's just say that we prefer this planet to remain isolated in the universe," Hae-soon finally divulged arcanely, her motives still incomprehensible.

There was something more here, Lindy was certain of it; this Hae-soon was far too intelligent to be satisfied with simple planetary domination. But further thought and interrogation was put on hold when the room shook in response to a loud-yet-muted sound from far outside, dislodging small pieces of plaster from the ceiling while the overhead light swung and flickered. The ever so slight narrowing of Hae-soon's eyes, told Lindy that the other woman had also been caught by surprise at this.

"Find out what is going on out there," Hae-soon snapped, steely ice in her otherwise even tone.

Yong-ho snapped to attention. "Yes, Mistress, at on-oof!"

That's when Lindy finally took notice of that soldier, who had just delivered a powerful kick to Yong-Ho's stomach, slamming him into a wall. Immediately afterward, the soldier blurred into a Flash move, only to reappear with a knife at the now-standing Hae-soon's neck. In the process, the soldier's cap had fallen off, revealing locks of short, blonde hair.

"You are under arrest on suspicion of kidnapping a Bureau official," Arisa declared as she switched into her barrier jacket, her bind spell locking dull yellow rings around Hae-soon's arms and legs.

x~~*~~x

Vice kept moving, twisting to snap off a pair of shots in rapid succession, striking the tanks approaching from the south. The emerald beams easily sliced through the main gun barrels and penetrated the turret armor, leaving them broken and twisted. He wasn't too concerned about the occupants inside, as these particular magical shots were designed to damage inanimate matter only, and leave organic matter untouched. So he ignored the three or four men who quickly climbed out of each vehicle, letting them escape while turning his attention to more pressing threats.

He yanked his control sticks to the side, twisting out of the way of landing cannon shells while rotating his golem's upper torso around to the gun emplacements higher up on the mountain. As soon as his crosshairs locked on, he depressed the trigger and sent another beam from his golem's main rifle that carved up the cannon barrels. Then he was moving again, as the rest of the complex became more active and turned its hatred on him, lighting up the night sky with tracer rounds and cannon fire.

[Come on, guys!] he urgently thought to himself, sweating a little under the pressure as he glanced at his rapidly diminishing battery. [I can't keep this up forever!]

x~~*~~x

As the room shook again, both Bureau personnel were a bit concerned that Hae-soon had never lost her "I still know more than you and I am still in complete control" smile. Her next words also echoed that stance.

"Amusing," she stated, her general attitude supporting that assessment. "I presume you've dealt with the bombs in Seoul. But you've made a grave mistake."

"How so-" Arisa started to say, and then as the lights flickered, her words were cut off as Hae-soon whirled with blinding speed, snapping the binds as if they weren't even there, and thrust an open palm into Arisa's gut.

The blond-haired girl went flying backwards, but recovered as the lights went out for good, and rebounded off the wall with a sweeping kick aimed to take Hae-soon's head off. Or it would have, had the woman not grabbed the leg and forcefully tossed Arisa through the door. The Bureau martial artist/mage landed roughly, pain lancing up through her shoulder, before she recovered and came back to her feet. And just in time; Hae-soon had sprung through the now-open doorway and was upon her.

Arisa planted her palms flat on the ground and did a hand stand, swinging her legs up and around to smack her opponent, but the woman gracefully ducked under them and once more thrust out her palm, releasing a magical energy blast that sent Arisa flying once more. The martial artist mage was partially ready for it, though, managing a quick barrier that shielded her from the worst of it, while prepping her own spell. Upon landing, she slammed her fist into ground.

"Earth Rage!" her device announced, as her magic sent a wave of spikes shooting up from the floor in a line towards her opponent.

Hae-soon leapt above it, but Arisa had raised a particularly large slab behind her own body, and used it as a springboard to rebound into the air, glowing gloved right fist extended. She missed as Hae-soon casually leaned out of the way, and after a short exchange of mid-air punches and kicks, Arisa couldn't help but notice the ease at which her adversary deflected her attacks. Hae-soon's expression in particular concerned her; it was one of sheer boredom. Arisa suddenly realized she had let that facial mannerism distract her, as in that split instant, Hae-soon whirled with a kick that sent the Bureau mage slamming into the ground.

Arisa recovered just in time to see a wave of magical energy heading straight for her, and she reflexively shielded her eyes. But when she felt no impact, she looked back up to see a barrier shielding her. And just a few meters away, Lindy was walking towards the pair, glowing hand outstretched, fairy wings extended.

"That's quite enough of that," the Bureau Admiral announced as the large hanger shook again. In the background, for the first time, Arisa noted the various soldiers running back and forth, presumably trying to deal with whatever was causing the commotion from outside.

"I concur," Hae-soon agreed, floating down to lightly land upon the ground. "I was beginning to grow a bit bored at that disheartening martial arts display. But then again, what can one expect from a novice against a master?"

Arisa stood up, wiping blood from her lip. "Novice or not, you're coming with us."

Hae-soon smiled, showcasing genuine mirth, as a black pentagram magic symbol formed under her feet. "Oh, I'm afraid not. You can have the hostages, as they are no longer of any use to me. I have delivered the message. Pray that we don't meet again."

"She's teleporting!" Arisa shouted her warning, surging forward into a sprint.

"Arisa!" Lindy's single word, called out with a raised voice, froze the Bureau Captain in her tracks.

"Misstress Hae-soon, don't leave me!" Young-ho clamored, appearing from out of nowhere and glomping onto his goddess just before she disappeared, phasing them both out of existence.

Arisa turned on the Admiral. "Why did you stop me? She got away!"

"It would have taken too much time to try and subdue her, and there are more important things," Lindy admonished her subordinate. "What about the hostages? Where is the South Korean President? I presume that mental message I heard was from Otto."

"Yes, I met up with her just before coming here," Arisa stated, breaking into a sprint towards towards another side room with Lindy just behind, as several girders dislodged themselves from the hanger ceiling and came crashing to the ground. She didn't mention that the cyborg scared the crap out f her by grabbing her from behind like that. "He's in here. I took care of the guards and put a barrier around him. Otto headed to another area to get the rest of the hostages. That was her signal to start the rescue operation."

"I apologize for the rough treatment, Mr. Myung-bak," Lindy offered to the confused South Korean President while Arisa dissolved her Protection Barrier over him. "But shall we depart now?"

Even though it was directed at the president, Arisa couldn't help but agree with the sentiment.

x~~*~~x

"Twelve airborne hostile targets incoming from five o'clock," Storm Raider informed him, placing the info up on a side screen.

Vice grit his teeth as barely dodged missiles exploded near his feet, showering his golem with cement debris. He couldn't take to the sky to deal with them, since Otto wasn't back with the hostages yet.

"Sergeant, the hostages are being loaded into the plane now," Otto's voice materialized over the line, as if responding to his inner worry. "I have a barrier around it, and can protect it until it takes off."

[Finally!] Vice inwardly sighed, relieved. "Roger that, I'll clear the skies. Storm Raider?"

"Alright, mode change," his device replied, the golem rising on twin foot jets. It promptly switched into fighter mode and rocketed into the sky.

Vice glanced at the incoming data on the enemy fighters and began picking out targets, thumbing the trigger once a lock was achieved. "Let's wrap this up and get home!"

x~~*~~x

Arisa nearly collapsed into a nearby chair the moment after exited the shuttle, not bothering to stifle a yawn. "Boy, am I glad to be back in Japan."

"Arisa-chan, let's at least get back to the dorms first," Suzuka prodded her, but tiredly sank down in the chair next to her old friend anyway.

Vice shook his head at the pair in mock disappointment, but his grin was amused. "You two have a lot to learn if that's all it takes."

Arisa glared at him, but any response was forestalled when she noticed Lindy's concerned face. Arisa followed her gaze, only then noticing the woman waiting in the hanger for them.

"What is it, Serena?" the Admiral asked, catching the serious look from the Bureau expedtion's Public Relations director.

"While you were gone, there has been familiar theme playing out on a lot of the networks," Serena said while opening an array of holographic screens. "I wanted to wait until you got back to let you know."

They appeared to be a variety of TV newscasts, and while all were muted, various texts were readable at the bottom:

_Space Bureau: Friend or Foe?_

_South Korean President Captured and Freed by Aliens?_

_Space Administration Spokesperson Mum on Alien Involvement_

_Was the South Korean President Replaced by Aliens?_

Serena tapped a key and un-muted one of the channels.

"And there is still no word on how the North Korean's were able to kidnap the president of South Korea so easily," the female newscaster on the screen was saying. "Some are speculating that these space Bureau aliens were responsible. Experts are currently confounded as to how this could have happened any other way."

"That's bullshit!" Arisa snapped indignantly. "We SAVED them! The South Korean president and hostages can back that up!"

Lindy shook her head. "While outwardly he was grateful for our help, I did sense some mistrust on his part. His security was compromised easily, and he didn't see what we did with Hae-soon. And how do we explain that a powerful magical being was responsible?"

Arisa had no answer for that, and Serena took that moment to switch channels. "But this is what I really wanted you to see."

It was one of those pundit radio talk shows, and the older man was deep into giving his spiel. "...and isn't it interesting how this all works out for these space aliens? They get to be seen as heroes. They saved the day, and proved how much we need them. But no one is really talking about the important thing here: what kind of deal did they make with North Korea? This heroic rescue seems to deflect us from considering that important point. It's a neat package: make a deal with a desperate regime, while simultaneously making it look like we, the rest of the world, need them. It's cute, the way they are pitting us against each other."

Arisa scoffed. "I've heard about him. Douche Rimbaugh. He's a blowhard."

Serena opened a few more screens showcasing poll questions and results. "Be that as it may, a lot of people seem to listen to him. And these polls show that various populaces are roughly evenly divided as to whether we are good guys or bad guys. We have our work cut out for us."

"That was her plan all along... " Suzuka realized aloud. "If we had agreed to her wishes and left Earth, she would have won. But even if we didn't, we end up looking bad. She had everything planned out from the start."

"Yes, we played right into their hand," Lindy agreed, nodding slowly. "But we know more than we did before; we have some idea of what we're up against. We'll just have to be more careful from here on out."

Arf glanced back at Miyuki, who was the last person to leave the shuttle. "Are you okay?"

The swordswoman, who appeared deep in thought, gave a friendly smile to ward off the concern. "Yes, I'm fine."

But inwardly, she found her thoughts traveling back to that mystery soldier, wondering who he was, what his game was, and if she'd run into him again. Her gut instinct told her the latter was practically a certainty.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

This mini-arc is done, but the consequences will haunt our heroes. Stay tuned for the next chapter, wherein Arisa discovers a surprising secret, and Lindy appears on a talk show!


	7. Cat Out of the Bag

**Magical Lyrical G-Squad**

**Chapter 7: Cat Out of the Bag**

Xx~~*~~xX

Arisa's eyes flicked between the large, flat-screen TV, and her purple-haired friend who had just taken her customary place on the other side of the cafeteria table. As Suzuka began to mindlessly pick at her late breakfast, Arisa tried to appear nonchalant while surreptitiously studying her old companion. It might have been her imagination or a trick of light and shadow, but Arisa almost detected small bags forming under Suzuka's eyes. Even without that particular clue, it wasn't hard to deduce that the Golem Squad tech wasn't getting enough sleep.

"Another late night?" she casually questioned, to which she received just a nod from Suzuka. "And you still won't say what you're doing in there?"

A half-smile graced Suzuka's face. "Not yet, but soon."

"Okay..." Arisa said, but her hidden suspicions weren't sated in the least. She tried a change of tactic. "Sailor Neko appeared again last night." She didn't add that Sailor Neko had disappeared for a few days, during and immediately following the North Korean incident, and Arisa was beginning to have a certain gut feeling.

Suzuka merely shrugged and continued eating, turning to the TV as if to change the subject. "Admiral Lindy is on that American talk show?"

Arisa nodded. "Yes, they just arrived there yesterday for their brief tour around the world, visiting countries and their people."

What she didn't need to say, since Suzuka already knew, was that the expedition had changed routes and decided to visit the North and South American continents, after South Korea. This was mostly due to having to appear at the UN for discussion on the North Korean incident. But on this leg of the trip, Arisa and Suzuka were technically on vacation; Adams, Vice, Arf, and Otto were handling the security, along with Miyuki. Kyoya still hadn't been heard from, since his departure to go back under cover. Well, Arisa herself wasn't totally on vacation, so much as she was responsible for the security of the embassy. In the next leg of the trip, she would be rotated in for Vice. In that way, each member could get some downtime while ensuring the security of the diplomatic delegation.

But currently, Arisa's attention was on the conversation taking place on the big screen TV.

"_And I think another big question our viewers are eager to hear an answer to_," the female interviewer was saying, "_is why you decided to approach Earth now?_"

Lindy smiled knowingly, as if anticipating the question. "_The timing of first contact is a matter of some debate, but the ultimate reasons are generally unique to each planet. In this case, Earth has recently made a scientific advancement with the discover of what you call the Higgs-Boson. Again, to use your terms, the Higgs field is one of the basic building blocks of the universe, and the ability to manipulate this field leads to many important scientific advancements, such as the massless propulsion of our spaceships. But it can also do a lot of harm if handled incorrectly, leading to what we call 'dimensional quakes.' In the past history of our Belkan wars, we lost several planets to such weapons, and thus we have no desire to see such a promising culture as yours be wiped out like that._"

"_So, you would prevent us from developing this important technology?_" the interviewer questioned, which made Arisa wince slightly. Then again, she realized that the interviewer wouldn't be doing her job if she went soft on the questions.

"_On the contrary, we've found it helpful to offer hints and tips, and provide a bit of a safety net so that doesn't happen_," Lindy answered smoothly. "_You have already mastered the atom, and developed great weapons based off that, so I'm sure you can see the danger. And there is one other reason: within 50 years, we see the humans of your world beginning to venture further into space. We find it a bit easier to establish relations just prior to that point, to prepare your people for the realities of what is out there._"

"_But as you have said before, you don't plan on offering us spaceflight technology?_"

Lindy politely shook her head. "_That is correct. The Bureau generally likes to see a planet develop on it's own, using their own technology. So while we'll assist with very minor things like clean water development, that will only be things within, or slightly above, your technology level. Our primary existence, as we've stated before, is the containment of dangerous, ancient technologies. The very creation of our Bureau, was in response to civilizations that wiped themselves out when they misused the high technology they developed. We have no desire to see that happen to any other planets, especially as it can engulf multiple worlds._"

The interviewers eyes narrowed slightly, even as she leaned forward. "_So, you offer us the barest hints of carrots, in order to get us to play along with you?_"

Arisa couldn't help but wince again. It was another example of a fair question, but Arisa felt Lindy could have been better served with a different talk show.

"_As we have explained to all at your United Nations, each country can choose their level of involvement, and terminate any treaties at their convenience,_" Lindy stated, impressing Arisa with the way the woman easily maintained her cool demeanor. "_Our main concern is letting Earth know the dangers of what is out there, and offer our assistance in joining the intergalactic neighborhood, so to speak. But generally speaking, we tend to stay as hands-off as possible, concerning ourselves mainly with intergalactic security and humanitarian efforts where possible._"

The interviewer seemed to accept that, which made Arisa let loose a slow breath and glance over at Suzuka, who was still mindlessly finishing off her scrambled eggs. Were her secret nightly activities that tiring?

"_According to the information I have been given, you have so far denied the requests from our officials to personally see these other worlds._"

Lindy appeared apologetic, but Arisa knew the question was uncomfortable to the admiral. "_Yes, unfortunately. We only have one ship to spare at the moment, and it must remain in orbit to support our diplomatic efforts here." _Arisa noted that Lindy didn't mention the teleportation angle, but also realized that was being kept quiet due to the magic involved._ "We have many video records of life out there which we have provided, so for now, that will have to be enough." _The interviewer opened her mouth to ask another question, but Lindy plowed ahead, as if anticipating it. _"Understand that our mission here is one of friendship and mutual benefit. We only seek to inform, but not hinder. Our own estimates are that Earth will have spacefaring technology of their own within 50 to 100 years that will enable them to leave their solar system and then they can see for themselves. We hope we can provide some measure of protection and assistance until that point."_

Perhaps it was Lindy's famous disarming smile, or that the interviewer realized she would get nowhere in that line of questioning, but said interviewer begin to direct her inquiries elsewhere, to less contentious avenues. However, Arisa found the particular talk about agricultural products rather boring, and so tuned it out. And that's when she noticed Suzuka still robotically picking at her meal, whereas Arisa had finished hers. Arisa considered questioning her old friend one more time, but instead settled for pursing her lips while settling into deep thought.

x~~*~~x

"Have you decided on our next move?" Yukoshi inquired casually, leaning back in his desk chair as he took a break from the paperwork in the Golden Dragon's main office located on the top floor of one of the taller Tokyo buildings. Ever since his mysterious benefactor and presumed master Amaterasu had returned, she had been unusually quiet, which was usually fine by him. With her gone, he had been able to give his attention more fully to the Golden Dragons and their various enterprises. He had also been able to make some discreet investigations.

For instance, the Yakuza boss knew that she didn't return right away, but detoured off to the coast of Japan. Somewhere out there in the Pacific Ocean, she disappeared for almost a full day. It wasn't to any other island or even across the sea, so where did she go? Via messages from some of his agents aboard various Japanese fishing vessels, he had charted her course to an area somewhere off the east coast of Japan near Tokyo, somewhere along the Pacific Rim. There was nothing out there except sea... which meant only one thing: a secret base. But under the water? Yukoshi didn't know, and was unsure how to proceed with the information, so he just mentally filed it away for now.

"Possibly, but it still needs some time, so I'll have to focus on preparation in the meantime," she replied absently from her laptop off to the side. It was strange to catch her with so unguarded of a response, but again, Yukoshi attributed it to her concerning herself with him much the way an elephant concerns itself with an ant. "I'll require the Golden Dragons begin spreading some rumors for me, as well as preparing all these items."

Yukoshi raised his eyebrow as she turned the laptop screen around to face him. "That will take some doing; many of those things are internationally banned parts, and may bring unwanted attention on us from foreign agencies like the CIA. I'm not sure-"

"Your role is not to question, but to carry out Hae-soon's wishes!" the third and last individual in the lavish office nearly snapped from one of the lounge chairs.

Yukoshi fixed the man with a harsh stare, trying to remind him of his place in things. Being a Yakuza boss, Yukoshi had files on everyone of importance in the world, and knew most of them by sight. So he was aware of the North Korean General Yong-ho; he just didn't know why Amaterasu had brought him back with her, or why the man kept insisting her name was Hae-soon instead of Amatersu. Hae-soon was the Goddess of the sun in Korean culture, while the Japanese called her Amaterasu, so it was very possible the same woman was occupying the same niche in both cultures. Still, whether that was because she was literally some type of goddess, or merely assuming the names for authority, he still didn't know.

"You two are not to fight or question my orders," Amaterasu stated in an icy tone that sent shivers down the spines of both men. "Yong-Ho, be grateful that I saved your life. I only did so because you may still have some use. Yukoshi, do not worry about those foreign agencies; just focus on the task I have assigned you."

The yakuza boss debated asking more, but decided things had been pushed far enough for now and nodded his head in a short bow that indicated he understood.

x~~*~~x

A few days later, Arisa's deep thought finally lost the battle to the frustration of not knowing. She formulated a plan and bided her time, and almost a week later, she had her moment. The news was just reporting on a Sailor Neko sighting in downtown Tokyo. Several hours ago, Suzuka had headed into her lab and put the "Do Not Disturb" sign up, as part of her nightly activities.

[And if I'm right, Suzuka is Sailor Neko, and thus her lab should actually be empty!] Arisa concluded quite triumphantly as she sauntered through the darkened hallway to the door. Her master code easily unlocked the door, and she slipped into the darkened lab, her heartbeat heightening as she surveyed the dusky room, her night vision spell giving the room a slight green tint. [Ah ha! She isn't here after all!]

Grinning, Arisa, prowled around the central table to the computer console on the other end. Briefly, she debated checking it out for information, but concluded that if she didn't find what she was looking for, Suzuka would know. At best, Arisa knew she could only tamper with the security video footage to make it look like she was never here. No, Arisa reasoned that if there was proof here, it would be elsewhere... perhaps in the door that led to a larger laboratory off to the side. It was more of a work area for objects that were too big for the initial lab area, and it had been one of those places that Suzuka had forbidden everyone but Lindy from visiting.

Arisa licked her lips as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. [Time to show me what you've been hiding.] She could feel her heartbeat quickening even more in anticipation as the door silently creaked open...

...and nothing.

Arisa blinked at the large, empty room, double-checking that she hadn't missed anything. There were no crates or barrels or spare parts or machinery of any kind. Not even a computer console. Just plain metal walls, and a stair case that led down into an approximately 15 meter high room.

"There has to be a secret entrance somewhere around here," Arisa reasoned in a whispered voice while stepping out onto the landing atop the stairs and silently beginning her descent. As the stairs creaked under her, she felt sure that the small noise would give her away, but then reminded herself that Suzuka had to be away at the moment, so she was safe. "And you can't hide it forever, Suzuka-chan!"

"Hide what?" came a familiar voice from below and behind.

Arisa froze and realized she had miscalculated, not expecting someone to be under the staircase. Whoever was there, had managed to escape her gaze by hiding in the only blind spot. Or had they just come out of a secret door directly under the one Arisa herself had entered? Figuring the jig was up anyway, Arisa leapt down off the stairs to confront the individual who seemed to shift a bit in the shadows that not even her night vision spell could penetrate.

And then the lights came on, and the astonished invader came face-to-face with Suzuka, replete in her white frock, staring at Arisa curiously who immediately blurted out, "What are you doing here?!"

Suzuka shifted her tablet to her left hand and planted her knuckles on her hips. "I could ask you the same thing. Didn't I tell you I didn't want anyone to disturb my work here?"

Arisa experienced a quick moment of feeling embarrassment, but quickly recovered. [Suzuka can't do any teleportation spells, so if there is no way she could have returned from Tokyo so quickly. The embassy security didn't register anyone teleporting in, either. So maybe she isn't...] She decided a change in tactic was in order.

"Um, okay, you got me," Arisa replied with a sigh, tossing her hands up in surrender. "You had me curious as to what you were doing in here, and I couldn't stand it any longer. I just had to know. After all, it could affect embassy security!"

Suzuka shook her head. "You know very well Admiral Lindy exempted my work here from that, and you'll find out at the same time as everyone else." She purposely strode up to Arisa and turned the other woman around, gently pushing her back to the stairs. "Honestly... Come on, out you go, and leave me to my work!"

Aris found herself propelled back up the metal stair case by a surprisingly energetic Suzuka that was ignoring all the former's protestations. "H-hey! Come on! You can't blame me for this!"

"I can very well blame you for this!" Suzuka stated more forcefully than Arisa thought the other woman was capable of while continuing to push the barely-resistant blonde-hair girl toward the lab exit in the first room. "Out!"

"But-"

"OUT!" Suzuka commanded with a last push that left Arisa back out in the darkened, empty hallway.

Arisa blinked, somewhat startled at how fast that had all happened, and then let out a defeated sigh while she allowed her shoulders to droop. [And here I thought I was right. I guess she really is just working on a secret project in there. Still, I wouldn't expected her to act so forceful and determined. So different than this morning.]

She took a few steps down the hallway resigned to being kept in the dark, when something made her pause. [Wait a minute, if I didn't know Suzuka better, and I should after all these years... she was tired this morning, and that was a lot of energy for her...] She also didn't recall seeing any shadow under Suzuka's eyes, either, which had been a slightly new development on the Suzuka of this morning.

Curiosity surging once more, she turned around and took two big steps back to the door, straining her ears, barely managing to hear voices. Wasting no time with subtly or secrecy this time around, she eased open the door and leapt across the center table to the big door once more, springing through it and flipping over the railing to land at the base of the stairs where she had encountered Suzuka just before.

"Aha! ...eh?!"

Arisa rubbed her eyes, confirming indeed that there were two Suzukas. One in the white frock looking a bit nonplussed, and one looking a bit red-faced and shocked... and wearing a white-and-purple-colored sailor fuku.

Of the three, Arisa recovered first, planting fists on her hips as she eyed the two lookalikes. "So... you want to tell me what's really going on here?"

x~~*~~x

Two shadowy figures darted across the rooftops of houses and small businesses, hidden by night's cloak. Their footsteps were light, nearly silent, giving the town residents below no clue that a pair of travelers were crossing just overhead. As Arisa glanced down at the quickly passing houses and streets, she couldn't help but think to herself,that if anyone did happen to glance out their window or look up, they might think they saw a couple of ninja in the darkness of the new moon. And they'd probably dismiss it for an illusion just as quickly.

Her eyes moved back up while she continued to follow Suzuka's lead, wondering where they were headed. The pair had moved rapidly from their embassy in Yoshigawa, to the southwest, skirting the northeast edge of Tokyo proper. Where exactly were they headed? And why?

After some cajoling and threats to reveal Suzuka's secret identity and activities as Sailor Neko, Arisa had managed to secure a position as the mysterious magical girl's new partner in their quest to fight crime. Arisa was surprised that Suzuka had gone ahead and taken Arisa's initial idea to help clean up the streets, using a secret identity to do so. But the bigger surprise was to discover that Suzuka's "duplicate" that was used to make everyone else think she was still at the embassy, turned out to be a robot. Or more particularly, that shape-shifting android, Juyo.

Arisa's gaze darkened a bit as she took another leap, reminded of the embarrassment that kissing robot caused last time. Apparently, Shari had sent it along to Suzuka to tinker with, and now it was play acting at being human, covering for when Suzuka was out. How long had she been at this secret game? Suzuka didn't want to spill everything just yet, but had promised she would. Still, there was one thing bothering Arisa most at the moment...

"I don't see how you can stand using such a short skirt in these conditions," Arisa remarked with a sigh as the pair came to rest upon a tall eight story building. "Are you worried someone below will glance up at the wrong moment? Or that it will flip up during combat?"

Suzuka smiled softly with a light blush, but also with a knowing twinkle in her eye. "It's not like the outfit is using panties underneath. Besides, I wove a special spell into the material, that ensures it won't flap up." She spun in place for emphasis, the skirt rising somewhat, but never quite passing too far up her thighs. "See? I just like wearing girly clothes." She raised an eyebrow and glanced up and down Arisa's own outfit. "Unlike you, who had to make that modification."

While Suzuka's sailor fuku had a white top and purple gloves, with purple chest bow and skirt (along with cat ears and a tail) and a simple cat mask covering her eyes and nose, Arisa's was almost the same but with a few differences. She had a yellow bow and skirt, and a small dog mask (with ears) with Terra's amber jewel now placed firmly at the bow's centerpiece. But the most striking difference was the "modification;" the pair of black spandex bicycle shorts under the skirt that stretched down to just above her knees.

Arisa made a high kick for emphasis. "My combat style is a bit more physical, and I don't give free shows. Anyway, so what's the deal? What have you been up to, and where are we going?"

Suzuka turned and pointed to a location several building down, across the street. "That's our destination. I haven't just been stopping random bad guys on the street. They were all low level yazkua gang members, and I've been trying to squeeze information out of each of them and move up the chain. There has been strange yakuza activity lately, as most of the crime families have stopped fighting with each other over territory."

"That is strange," Arisa murmured, beginning to understand. She had read the reports, of course; as head of security for Lindy's diplomatic entourage and the embassy, she had to know what the criminal element was up to. And lately, it seemed, it hadn't been much. At least, much quieter than normal. "So what have you found?"

"Several months ago, I heard about some special cargo that had been shipped out," Suzuka answered. "I wasn't able to figure out what, but I found out where when I used the _Ventek_'s sensors to track the ship. It stopped just south of North Korea, and several smaller boats took repeated trips between it and the shore."

"Deliveries," Arisa deduced, tapping her lips with a finger. "Or pickups. Or both. But with the embargo in place, why didn't the Americans stop it?"

Suzuka shook her head. "I wondered that myself, and so switched to regular radar and other tracing methods Americans would have. It didn't appear on radar or sonar, and there was heavy cloud cover that day so spy satellites wouldn't have seen it. In fact, the clouds seem to continuously cover it during its trip."

Arisa understood; it was highly suspicious from the Bureau's angle, but Earth agency would have any indication of something going on. Suzuka had a possible link between the yakuza and North Korea, that happened days before the North Korea incident, but she needed more solid proof. Arisa glanced down, recognizing where they were: Kabukicho, the "sleepless town." It was one of the biggest and most well-known red-light districts in Japan. Arisa's cheeks reddened quite a bit upon realizing just what kind of place she was now in.

"So, um, why are we here again?"

"There is one small yakuza family that runs a lot of the shipping out of Tokyo bay," Sailor Neko stated, bringing her visor down to scan the building down the street. "They do shipping for other yazkua families, and in return, they are left mostly alone. I've learned that the man who runs it, spends a lot of his time here. And lately, I've heard rumors of other shipments coming into Japan that I can't locate. Something super secret."

"And so you're going to get answers to your questions straight from the horse's mouth," Arisa finished. But inwardly, she was impressed; Suzuka had been doing a lot more than just stopping random crime. She had started her own secret investigation that had generated many interesting leads.

Arisa made a fist and grinned. "Well, shall we pay him a visit?"

x~~*~~x

Girlish giggles wafted through the air, mingling with the cigar smoke, while one of the bathing beauties splashed sudsy water towards her benefactor. "Oh, Susu-chan, you're such a liar!"

The sole male in the hot tub somehow managed to save his cigar from the water somehow, and chomphed back down on it while replacing his arm around the slightly older woman on his right side. "No no, it's true, Saya-chan! If you stay with me, I can show you mystical wonders you never dreamed of. Things that would blow the mind of a young, intelligent, curious, and beautiful woman like yourself!"

The younger one, Saya, blushed a bit as she gazed around at the huge, ornate bathroom, but snuggled up to his left while gazing out at the lit-up town just outside the large windows of the 14th floor. "You do know how to make a modest girl feel good, I'll give you that much. But... marriage? What about Naoko?"

Naoko, the slightly older woman on Susu's other side, smiled softly. "I knew my being with him would be temporary - no single woman can ever satisfy his wandering eye after all - and you're smarter than you let on. You're perfect for what we need. But you should decide soon, as there is much you will need to know."

Her eyes lit up with the aforementioned curiousity. "Such as...?"

One of the wall-sized windows of the 14th floor chose that moment to shatter inwards, admitting a pair of sailor-fuku-clad individuals into the huge bathroom. They immediately pointed what looked like weapons at them; a staff from one and wrist guns from the other.

"Such as that," Susu declared, totally unshaken and seemingly unsurprised. He removed his cigar and set it down in a nearby tray. "Sailor Neko, I presume. I figured you'd show up sooner or later; you've been sniffing around my territory for weeks. I see the rumors of your cuteness don't do you justice." His smile turned very playboyish and admiring as his eyes traveled up and down her body. "Did I mention how much I love cat ears?"

Suzuka didn't bat an eye, but kept her right wrist blaster trained on him. "And you're Mr. O, the leader of the Yakuza group that handles shipping in the Tokyo Bay. We have a few questions for you."

Susu, also known as Mr. O, cocked his head and took in the other intruder, maintaining his suave attitude. "And I see you have a new friend, just as cute. Puppy dog ears? Might I ask your name, lovely lady?"

"It's... Sailor Inu," the yellow-skirted sailor girl replied in a low, embarrassed voice while reddening slightly. Then she turned on her partner. "I told you about this!"

Suzuka smiled sweetly. "You wanted in, and it keeps a good theme. Like Cure Black and White, we're cat and dog!" As if realizing she was getting off track, she shook her head and focused her studied glare back on her original target. "Ahem, as I was saying, about your secret shipments coming into Japan; what are they and where are they?"

"You can't expect me to just _tell_ you my secrets like that," Mr. O stated, feigning shock. Then he grinned and gestured to the bubbling hot tub. "However, if you two would care to join me for awhile, and we get to know each other and become friends, then I might be persuaded to share some secrets."

"Hell no," Arisa stated flatly. While Mr. O was certainly attractive (his visible top half was fairly muscular, she could admit that much), his attitude and playboy vibes really turned him off. She raised her staff, the tip now glowing a brilliant yellow, a clear threat of her intention to shoot. "Instead, if you tell us, we won't blast you, nor will we dismantle your entire organization."

Mr. O sighed. "I so dislike violence, especially when we are having such a good time. Would be a pity to ruin it." He clapped his hands as if an idea had just come to him. "I know! How about you search the entirety of the docks, and I'll tell you if you're getting warmer."

"That would take weeks, if not months," Arisa pointed out. "And in the meantime, you could move your stuff around to places we've already searched. No dice." She glanced around, and noticed something sitting on a stool in the corner, indicating it with a nod of her head to her partner. "Su... Sailor Neko, how about that laptop over there? Might tell us what we want to know."

Suzuka moved in that direction, letting Arisa cover the trio in the tub, while pulling out of her headset and plugging it into the USB port. "Good idea. Shouldn't take me long..."

"And now you're going through all my personal things," Mr. O said with mock depression. "I'll have you know, I'm feeling so violated right now. I'll have to ask you to stop."

"You're not in a position to ask anyone to do anything at the moment," Arisa told him flatly, gesturing with her staff.

"You know, you're right."

Before Arisa could respond to that, the water in the tub exploded, shooting up in a geyser that blocked her view of the trio. The unexpected event stunned her, but she recovered quickly and unleashed a stun blast that parted the water, revealing that the tub was now empty. She had only a moment to wonder where they had gone, when a voice tickled her right ear.

"Are you sure I couldn't interest you in a job under me?" Mr. O's asked in a low, playful, seductive tone.

Arisa immediately reddened and jammed her elbow back in reflex, catching his gut while wondering how he had managed to sneak up on her like that. She managed to get a bit of an "oomph" out of him, before he leapt back and started firing a handgun. Arisa sprung and rolled, momentarily puzzling where the bathrobe and gun had come from, and then belatedly realizing that he wasn't aiming at her, but the laptop.

Suzuka was also on the move, inwardly cursing as the laptop was destroyed with several well-placed shots. She realized she should have probably tried to shield it, while firing back at Mr. O with her wrist-mounted magical blasters. And was surprised yet again as he managed to almost-effortlessly dodge her shots. She didn't have more time to ponder it, though, as several men burst into the room from the door, firing their own guns. Realizing that the huge, almost-floor-sized bathroom was quickly becoming a war zone and that it was unlikely they'd get anything more from this, Suzuka nodded towards Arisa, and the pair darted for the broken window, leaping out into the darkness.

"Are you alright, sir?" one of the men asked, and then gestured to the rest. "What are you waiting for? Go after them!"

"Yes, I'm fine," he told them in good humor, unable to help the smile on his face. "But I don't think you'll find them so easily. Still, that was more fun than I've had in awhile." The two women took that moment to emerge from what was left of the water in the tub, exhaling as if starved for air, and he was immediately there to help them out. "I apologize for the fuss, my dears. Are you two alright?"

"Yes, we're fine," Naoko stated. "But if they got enough information off the laptop, they'll know where our secret warehouse is. We should move the latest shipment now."

"You mean on the corner of 14th and E street?" he questioned aloud. "She wasn't on the laptop long, and the information was heavily encrypted. I don't think she had time to discover that."

Naoko raised an eyebrow at his unconcerned grin.

x~~*~~x

"_...on the corner of 14__th__ and E Street?_" came the voice in Suzuka's ear, and she smiled.

"Did you get it?" Arisa asked, realizing by the look on her friend's face that the question hardly needed to be asked.

Suzuka grinned. "Yes, thanks to the bug you planted, I heard every word. Let's go!"

x~~*~~x

The pair alighted on the roof of the warehouse and silently padded across the wooden canopy until they came to the end of the building. While Arisa laid down and peeked over the edge, Suzuka activated her visor and scanned the inside, data very visibly playing across her hi-tech magical spectacles.

"Odd, my visor is being partially jammed. I can see many crates, but no data on what's inside," the cat-visored girl remarked curiously.

Arisa glanced up. "If they can jam the magic sensors in your visor, then we're definitely at the right place. Only one way to find out; let's go!"

"Arisa-chan, wait!" Suzuka protested, but the latter had already swung below the eave of the roof and in through a window she had opened.

Suzuka landed beside her new partner-in-crime, and the duo paused, looking for any movement or any sign they had been detected, before moving next to a waist-high crate. Arisa wasted no time in prying it open while Suzuka kept a look out.

Arisa inhaled sharply. "What the... is this what I think it is?"

Suzuka's eyes widened as more data played across her HUD, now that she was past the jamming. "Plasma rifles! This should be beyond Earth's technology... wait, no wonder. These were manufactured by the Vandein corporation on Trilethia. Normally they are sold to security forces on world's without much magic, but it would be forbidden to sell to Earth."

"Suzuka, this is beginning to stretch a bit beyond us," Arisa stated hesitantly. "We'll need Chrono's help to investigate where these came from and... Suzuka?"

The other girl was pulling off a different crate on the other side of the aisle, an scanning the insides. "More weapons. This whole warehouse must be weapons. Someone here has connections offworld, and is smuggling them in."

"That's not the only issue," Arisa realized, coming up beside her friend and glancing down at the container of anti-matter mines. "Where is the security for this building? There are no guards, and no alarms of any kind, magical or non-magical. The lock on that window was purely mechanical. It's like this place was made to be broken into. And if this kind of advanced weaponry gets out now, just as the Bureau shows up on Earth, who do you think will get the blame?"

Suzuka lifted her head and stared, the implications beginning to weigh on her. "But-"

She never got to finish her thought as explosions began to rip through the warehouse. The two girls only spared a moment to glance at each other before leaping back towards the open window. A split second later, the entire warehouse went up in a large ball of fire.

x~~*~~x

"I admit, it took me a few minutes to realize what you were up to," Naoko stated, coming to sit down her lover and master's right on the couch, as Mr. O flipped to a news channel covering the dockside explosion. She put the tea set down on the small table in front of them, and began to pour the tea. "You used them as a scapegoat to destroy the warehouse."

Mr. O merely smiled and shrugged, while putting an arm around her. "I also admit I came up with it on the fly, but I did expect them to show up sooner or later. I was right about being able to use them."

"But won't she be extremely upset about this?" Naoko questioned.

Susu shrugged again. "My sister is always mad about something or other. But that's why I used those two; I can blame the destruction on them, and there is nothing she can do about it."

Naoko seemed to accept that, and then glanced at the younger girl on Susu's left side. "I know your _geisha_ training probably tells you to remain silent at this point, but if you still want in, you will need to learn to ask questions. There is much for you to know. Of course, you can still back out now."

Saya turned and slowly smiled, and it took her just a few short moments to ask, "Might I ask who your sister is? I gather she is an important person, in more ways then one."

Susu grinned and winked at Naoko. "See? I told you she was good. Asking the most important question right away. Would you be so kind as to get her up to speed?"

Naoko nodded, handing Saya her cup of tea. "You could say this is a very old story, as it started long ago..."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

I seem to need to take breaks between writing much more nowadays, or maybe it's just that I find distractions easily. At any rate, hopefully I'll be able to spit out more chapters at a decent rate before my next break.


End file.
